Repetitions of the Future
by gally1
Summary: How will Alex get home now? Gene offers to help but to what cost, can he really accept the fact that the woman he loves will go back to 2007? Arthur Layton is involved too. Please R/R.
1. Am I ever going to get back home?

A/N: Hello everyone, I'm having a bit of a break from my other stories at the moment and thought I'd try my hand at this 'Ashes to Ashes' story. Hope you all enjoy, especially after the last episode being shown last night. Please read review.

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone, yadda yadda.

Chapter 1 – Am I ever going to get back home?

It was no use, no matter how much alcohol Alex Drake had drunk or how tired she was, neither was ever enough to help her to get to sleep. The images of the past 48 hours still hung in her head as if she couldn't quite fathom why it had still happened. There must have been a reason, a reason why she hadn't been able to save her parents, a reason why she hadn't been able to get back home, back to 2007, back to Molly.

Silently she wept, the memories of her own daughter causing her to curl up into a foetal position as her body racked along with her crying. Why? Why could she not get back? After everything she had done she was still there … in bloody 1981!

She let out a soft moan as she reconsidered the events over and over again. How was she going to survive now, at least she'd had her mother before and Evan, but now she had no one. There was absolutely no way she could ever bring herself to spend time with Evan and her younger self, for god knows where that could lead. She would only ever be able to meet Evan on a professional level especially if she were to be stuck here for some considerable time.

So who could she bond with now? Some Thatcherite wanker with red braces? No, that wasn't even an option. Maybe one of her colleagues? Certainly not Ray or Chris, she wouldn't ever be able to get any kind of intelligent conversation from either one of them. Shaz? There was a possibility there but the difference in their ages could be problematic. Which left her with one option. 'And is that truly an option?' She thought, although in a strange way it made sense. Shaz had told Alex that she believed she was her guardian angel. Did that then mean that Gene was actually hers?

She got up and padded through the bedroom into the lounge. Bits of paper and newspaper cuttings were strewn all over the floor where they had landed from her outrage two nights previous. She looked around at the crossed off dates, the telephone numbers, her mother's face - pieces of the jigsaw she had been putting together in order to find her way home. What had it all been for? To what end?

The telephone had stopped ringing at about eight o'clock the previous evening, she never answered and as she was in an age of no '1471', 'caller display' and 'ringback request' she had decided to leave it that way, for the time being anyway. Not that she didn't know who it was, 'and if he were that concerned about me he could climb the bloody stairs and knock on my door to find out', she'd thought.

She looked at the red receiver cradled in it's companion and decided that she would call him, at least she could talk to him and have him talk back in his gruff way; out of all of her 'constructs' he was her favourite and would have missed him very much had she been able to leave. So, he wasn't the perfect gentleman, her idea of Mr Right, but he was male and didn't everyone know it. "Smell this, this is man stink!" He'd said on one of the many occasions they'd spoken of relationships. Once the Manc Lion roared there was no stopping him from being the King of his jungle. And in the 1980's world she'd found herself in, any woman would've bowed down to his charms. At least you knew where you stood with Gene Hunt, he may have been an erogenous dinosaur but his heart was in the right place, especially considering the scenes she had witnessed between him and the younger version of herself two days previously.

She crossed the distance to her phone and picked up the receiver, she began dialling the numbers to Gene's home but stopped when she spied the time from the corner of her eye. 3.36 am, she didn't think he'd appreciate a wake up call at that time in the morning, better to go and wake him up personally if she were going to wake him up at all. But first she'd have to pop by the office.

She got dressed pulling on her favourite dark blue jeans, her black scoop necked  
T-shirt, and her black boots. She dispensed with make up and combed her hair through making herself presentable. A sharp knock on the door indicated the arrival of her cab and, after pulling on her coat, she was soon on her way to the Met building.

She ran in after asking the cabbie to wait, she heard him mutter about the 'meter running' as she quickly sped up the steps and through the doors making her way to his inner sanctum and the personnel records that she'd knew she'd find. Once she'd found the information she'd needed she retraced her steps, got back in the cab and was being taken to Gene Hunt's abode.

She was dropped off in front of an impressive looking building, a 1930's apartment block with an art nouveau façade brilliantly lit by the equally impressive lighting. Making her way up the path she noticed a buzzer entry system and pressed the number for his flat. Nothing, but then had she actually expected him to answer. She buzzed up again. Still nothing. 'One more try,' she thought as she held the buzzer in for a considerable length of time.

She heard a window open somewhere above her head and grinned to herself. "What the bloody 'ell is going on … has someone raped the Mother Teresa, they'd better had" stepping back she looked up and caught sight of Hunt's vested upper torso as he lent out over the window sill. "Might of known it'd be you, Drake. I'll open the door." Watching the window shut again she went back to the entry door and waited for Gene to buzz her in.

She was soon inside the hallway and up the stairs. Finding his front door she noticed that it had been opened a chink and politely knocked before she stepped inside the flat closing the door behind her. She wandered up the hallway noticing the dishevelled sheets on Gene's bed, 'looks like he's had about as much sleep as I have', she mused. The hallway opened up to a lounge/diner/kitchen area and noticed Gene, now with a navy blue dressing gown slung over his frame, pouring two shots of whiskey out into two glasses. "Take a pew", he ordered from over his shoulder. Alex made here way into the lounge and surveyed the scene, two pictures sat on the top of the television, one of a girl and one of a boy. She reached out, her hand instinctively motioning to that of the girl tracing the pig tails as they fell down the sides of the girl's head.

Realising that she now wasn't on her own she turned her head to see Gene standing very close to her behind her left shoulder. "That's my daughter," he muttered affectionately. "She'll be seven in January."

"And is this your son?" Alex asked pointing at the other framed picture.

"No, no. That's me godson, Sam Tyler's son!"

"Curious," Alex whispered as Gene handed her one of the two glasses he had nursed on his way from the kitchen.

"Mmm, well, do you think you could possibly tell me why it was that you felt the need to wake me from my dream date with Brooke Shields and a rather large bottle of baby oil?" He gruffed out; his normal pouting expression still in tact as he caught her eye.

Alex rolled her eyes at his remark. "I need to talk to someone!"

"There's always Timmy the talking clock, and I hear that Busby is a good listener."

"Gene, I'm serious, I really need to tell someone why I have been so neurotic since I got here and there's stuff I need to tell you about Sam. Is that really his son?" She asked looking back at the photograph.

"Aye, he's Sam's alright. Annie says he's getting right into …" Gene suddenly stopped; he looked up at her, his expression now bitter. "It's so sad, that little lad will never know 'is dad!"

"Like me!" Alex interjected, slowly taking a seat on the threadbare sofa that dominated the room. "Except, I never really got to know either of them." She looked down at her hands cradling the glass that she had been passed earlier. She took a swig from the glass letting the liquid amber flush down her throat, warming her insides as it made its way down into her stomach.

Gene looked at her, wondering what to do, never missing a thing. The delicate patter of her voice as she talked about her parents, the way her hair fell softly around her face as she took a sip of her drink, the single solitary tear that traced its way down over her pallid cheek on its way to desolation. He took a seat next to her gulping down his own drink before placing his glass on the smoky glass topped coffee table that was placed in front of the sofa. He looked back to her waiting for her to speak up.

For some minutes she sat and wondered what she was doing there. Did she really want to open up to this alpha male only to have him taunt her and cajole her at work? Could she trust him? She placed her glass on the table and got up, making her way around the ever watchful form of her DCI. "Where are you going, Bolly," he grabbed her wrist, evoking a response that he wasn't quite prepared for. The floodgates opened and Alex was crying again. He stood up taking her into his arms, trying to calm her down and soothing her with the best soft voice he could muster as his hands made circles over her back. "Shhh, Alex. I thought you wanted to talk?"

"I did," she bit out, suddenly aware of her surroundings again and in whose arms she was being comforted. "I do," she whispered. He motioned for her to regain her seat, Alex did as she was told and sat back down. She looked Gene in the face, tears still finding their way down her own. "There are some things I have to tell you, about Sam and me. Whether you believe me or not is totally up to you but I believe that in order to help myself there are certain issues that I need to bring to the fore."

"About Sam or both of you?"

"Both of us," she replied.

"Well tell me about Sam, then. Probably a good place to start considering you was goin' to tell me something about him when you first arrived."

Alex nodded, a small smile appearing on her lips. "Ok, as you know I'm a psychologist. One of my main functions is to profile prospective and actual criminals to build up pictures of who may be executing certain crimes," she watched him as his pout returned and he nodded toward her to carry on. "Another part of my job is to profile my colleagues. I look through case studies of police officers who have been injured or killed whilst they have been working. This can give us a good indication of how certain types of people will act or react to future situations they are faced with and help them through them with counselling, etc. Sam was one of my case studies. In fact, he was the last one I looked at before I came here. Sam left you all behind when a train robbery went wrong, wasn't that right?"

"Yeah, that's right, little bastard started running off into the tunnel, not sure why. He weren't a coward but I were surprised to see him come back."

"He came back straight away?"

"Yeah, straight away, must have had an attack of conscience or sommat, big jessie."

"When he came out of his coma he was in 2006 …" Gene put his hand up to stop her talking.

"This might be statin' the bleedin' obvious but we're in 1981, 2006 doesn't happen for another 25 years, Bolly!"

"Yes, I know, in your world. I knew nothing of Sam Tyler except what I've read and listened to, his tapes and written accounts of his life in 1973 make for an excellent narrative and if I'd never had experienced it for myself I'd have said there was a best selling book in it all." She watched as Gene's eyebrows rose skyward. "Look, Gene you may not believe me but that is to the point I know about, the tunnel when he walks away from you into the light. The next thing is he's waking up in a hospital bed with only his mother and Doctor Frank Morgan looking over him. No one expected him to recover but he did. He mentioned in his report that he had a tumour and that his doctor couldn't operate to remove it but that it was benign. Sam also mentioned that when he was in 1973 a DCI from Hyde by the name of Frank Morgan had told him that there was a cancer in Manchester and it had to be 'cut out'."

"That were me I suppose?"

"I can only assume that that was what was meant. Thing is though Gene that you all obviously had such an impact on his life that he had to find someway back to you. The reason why I was so confused about it all when Ray told me about Sam staying in Manchester for another 7 years was because in my world, he committed suicide. He must have decided that the only way he could get back to you was to put himself back into a coma or die. He threw himself off the top of the GMP building and must have returned back to 1973 in that tunnel as a result."

"'Ow did he get to us in the first place though? As far as I knew he'd asked for a transfer from Hyde."

"He'd been injured in a car accident, run down I believe. Ended up in a coma for a little while."

"And how do you fit into this then, Bols? And am I, with my esteemed colleagues, only just a construct?" He asked waggling his fingers at the word she had so loved to call them all.

"A busker was taken hostage by a gunman," she said, deliberately missing out Layton's name for the time being, "I was taking my daughter to school when I was asked to attend the scene. He'd asked for me by name. I went to speak with him and try to ascertain what the problem was; I was to become his hostage in place of the busker.

"Unfortunately, my daughter Molly, who I'd asked to stay in the car, and who made herself known to the gunman, became his hostage instead, allowing him the getaway he needed. I heard a shot fired, followed the direction my daughter had taken and thankfully found her alive and well. The gunman was nowhere to be seen.

"After asking her godfather to take care of Molly," again she missed out Evan's name, "and seen that she was in safe hands I headed off for work, telling her to make sure not to blow her candles out on her cake until I got there, as it was her birthday. I got back in my car in order to go to work and there he was, the gunman sitting in the backseat, and he'd got his gun pointed at my head. He asked me to drive to this place by the river and then took me to this old barge called 'Di'. He spoke on his phone to someone about having a piece of their past and letting me know the truth about how my parents died when I was 8. He took me inside the barge and sat me down on a pile of blankets. I tried to negotiate but he was only interested in the next phone call he received. Needless to say, he wasn't very happy; he took aim and shot me in the head.

"Next thing I know I'm waking up on this boat called 'The Lady Di', dressed like a prostitute with all these men groping me. And that's when I find you, after Markham tries to take me as a hostage that is."

"So you're tellin' me, you're from 2006?"

"Well no. It's 2007 now!"

"Always so precise. Well that explains a lot!"

"And what exactly do you mean by that?" Alex began on her usual spiral upwards, the one that only Gene Hunt could start her on.

"Well … I mean … look, Alex, if this is true, and I'm not saying I believe you as yet, then I need facts. Something solid that I can use my part-time detective work to mull over an' make sense of."

"Ok, the man that shot me was Arthur Layton." She said calmly.

"As in, that piece of scum we saw at Wormwood and not two minutes later were set free by Tim Price?"

"Yes, the exact same one."

"So if you were killed by him because he were goin' to tell you about the truth behind your parents' death then he must've been involved in some way. Gut instinct, Bolly, he killed your parents as well as helped Tim Price end his and his wife's life."

She looked up at him, his face twitching with the realisation that he'd have to do something about getting that piece of filth off his streets. Her face pleaded with him to make the connection. "Wait, that board you had goin', the one with all the events of the bombing from your so called snout. You knew about them – what from a dream, déjà vu? There were too much there for it just to be coincidence?"

"If I told you'd I'd been there twice, seen those events happen 26 years ago when I was 8 in 1981, considering I'm from the future. What would you say?"

"Bolly, don't test my patience, how could you have seen it twice? Unless … Caroline and Tim Price were your parents … and that little girl I carried into the station," he stopped looking deep into her eyes not believing that this could possibly be the truth behind the woman that was in front of him.

"Yes?"

"That were you?"

Alex nodded her head, tears welling up again, "I'm just sorry I don't remember you, but considering I only met you briefly as a child I don't suppose it was uppermost in my thoughts."

"So, Evan?"

"Is my godfather, and he looked after me until I was able to fend for myself."

"Right, I still don't trust him mind!"

"I wouldn't expect you to, it's just that I don't have anyone now, do I. My parents are still dead and Evan is now sole guardian of the younger me, so I can hardly strike up a relationship of any kind with him."

"Thank the lord," Gene remarked, under his breath.

"Gene, I'm all alone in this god damn image of a world I don't live my life in, and my one shot, my one hope and chance of getting home was blown up in a car exactly as it was 26 years ago. What the hell am I going to do? I'm not supposed to be here!"

"Then where are you supposed to be, you once said that this was all a dream and that we were all imaginary, if that were the case wouldn't Sam have stayed in 2006, I mean it must be such a better life if you're anchorin' after getting back there anytime soon?"

"My daughter is there, Gene!" Alex shrieked, as tears threatened once more.

"And mine's in Manchester, living with her mother and some fella she moved in straight after I left!"

She stood up to leave once more, "I'm so sorry, I should never have come. I should have just stayed in my flat, on my own, trying to think of a way to get back home, away from you, away from everyone."

He stood up as well, confronting her, "Alex, stop with the 'poor me's' will you! I only meant that there are occasions when things don't work out they way they were planned. My wife and I stupidly believed that a child would save our marriage, which in turn only served to increase the divide between us. Don't get me wrong, I love the little blighter but it were ne'er goin' to work. Do you remember what I said the other night about joining the land of the livin'?" He watched as she slowly nodded he head, the grief on her face piercing his very soul. "This situation may not be perfect, but it's what we do with it that counts. I'm buggered if I'd want to lose one of the best DI's I'd ever had working for me but I'd also do all I could to help you get back home, understand?"

She nodded, "I'm so bloody tired!"

"You always are! Come on, you can have my bed, I'll sleep in the sofa."

"No, Gene. I'm the guest I'll take the sofa."

"I am many things, Bolly, and a gentleman on my off days is one of them. Now no arguing," he insisted as he picked her up and made effortless work of carrying her to his bedroom. He helped her take off her boots and pulled the covers over her as she lay there watching his movements. He switched off the bedside lamp and turned to leave.

"Thank you," Alex said.

He looked back at her lying in his bed, an image he hoped he would be able to keep in his memory when a time came that she wouldn't be there in his world anymore. The slightest smile washed over his features, "my pleasure, Alex."

TBC


	2. Frienship over breakfast, turmoil before

A/N: Thank you for the lovely reviews so far. And Kristieee, thanks for the heads up, I went over and over the dates trying to work them out and quite obviously couldn't, so Sam's dates are probably wrong as well. I changed my mind that many times, I'll tell ya! (Hee hee). Thank you again, I hope you'll all keep reading.

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone, yadda yadda.

Chapter 2 – Friendship over breakfast, turmoil before dinner.

Alex lay awake for what seemed like hours. She looked over at the old clock radio with the figures that moved around on bits of plastic and realised it had only been 20 minutes. 'What was the use in sharing a problem if you couldn't halve it,' she thought. She'd imagined that lying in Gene's bed would've helped her to sleep, his scent enveloping her as she lay between the sheets cocooning her from the outside world. She'd even picked up the pillow he'd been using, the place where he'd been lying still evident from the hollow made by his head in the encased feathers. She tried to breathe him in but even then she realised it was nothing like being with the real thing and the calming influence he had over her at times.

Slowly, she sat up and got out of the bed making a move for the door that was slightly ajar. She crept into the open space of the lounge area finally stopping when she reached the sofa. She looked down at the form of her DCI wrapped in a blue blanket, the faintest of smiles tracing her lips. As soon as he had become aware of her presence he looked up at her and held up the edge of the blanket, an unspoken invitation for her to join him. She didn't need to be asked twice and lay down beside him as he wrapped her up in the blanket with him.

Their bodies spooned; she felt one arm reach under her head to support it, his head finding a nestled position in the crook of her neck. His warm breath caressed her earlobe as they became melded, one form to the other. His other arm snaked its way under her free arm resting in position over her waist, his fingertips barely touching her smooth stomach. Her own hand formed around his, their fingers entwining as she slid her hand over his. They were soon breathing as one, both following and leading the other with their own rhythmic pattern and were just as soon asleep.

She woke to the gentle swaying of her body as Gene effortlessly picked her up once more and padded into the bedroom with her. She moved to hold onto him, not wanting to be left alone again, "its ok, Alex. I couldn't stay on that uncomfortable sofa any longer, I were getting a bit stiff." He laid her back in the spot she had vacated earlier and whilst he moved around the bed to the other side she rearranged the pillows and sheets so that they were somewhat back in place. She began to watch him, rolling back the corner of the sheets as he took off his dressing gown unveiling his body dressed only in a vest and boxers. Alex let out a giggle. "What's so funny, Bolly?" Gene growled; as he lay down beside her watching her intently.

"It's just I'd thought you'd be wearing y-fronts, I mean boxers haven't been around that long have they and my dad was still in y's in 1981!"

He smiled despite her laughing at him, "I suppose that in 2007 there's some other kind of fetching underwear that is in fashion and that would be unseemly for the Gene Genie to be wearin'?"

"I never said they were unseemly did I, just didn't expect a man of your calibre to be wearing them!"

"I do believe you're yanking my chain, DI Drake," he joked.

"No, if I was going to take the piss out of you I'd have said something about the vest!" His eyebrows rose at her remark. "They're not really a sexual turn-on in 2007. I actually think you look very fetching in boxers, I like boxer briefs even more so but they'll not be around for ooh a good 10 to 15 years yet."

"Boxer briefs?" He questioned.

"Yes, well they're like a cross between a boxer and a pair of y-fronts, I suppose. About the same length as those you're wearing but figure hugging like a brief."

"Oh, makes perfect sense now you've mentioned them to me," he said sarcastically. "Right, well I think it's about time we both went back to sleep!" His eyes met hers and he half smiled, nervous from being so close to her.

"Is that an order?" She asked nonchalantly noticing the nervousness in his face and wondering if she hadn't taken things a little too far.

"It's just that …" he struggled, his words failing him. He turned onto his back breaking the spell between them as his eyes rested on the white artexed ceiling above them.

Alex sat up, "I'm sorry, Gene. I'm obviously making you uncomfortable; I'll go and try the sofa again!" She made a move to get out of the bed but was suddenly held back, Gene's hand was on her wrist pulling her toward him against her better efforts to remove herself. Her balance faltered and they were soon facing one another again, only this time they were closer.

"Don't go," he whispered to her, pushing back a limp curl from her face so that he could look into an unobstructed pair of bewitching eyes. Cradled within his arms once again she felt his frame loosen against hers, each limb of her lower body touching its respective partner of Gene's. Her arms instinctively found their way around his neck as her head arched resting against his chest. They both relaxed into one another and it wasn't long before slumber soon took them both for a second time that morning.

She awoke to the sound of a rush of water, 'Gene must be in the shower,' she thought. Getting up from the luxury of the bed she made her way out into the hallway. A few steps more and she was in the kitchen inspecting cupboards and the fridge to see if she could find anything to eat or drink, beside the remnants of the whiskey bottle that had stood on the side presumably where Gene had left it earlier on that morning. There wasn't much but she would be able to make something. A couple of omelettes would suffice if she could only find a pan to cook them in. At least he had coffee and, by some small miracle, some sugar and milk too. Alex set to work busying herself in the kitchen, plumping up the cushions of the sofa, folding up the discarded blanket from earlier on, sorting out the sheets and pillows of the bed – it was the least she could do for waking Gene up so early and making him listen to her rambling on for so long. After about quarter of an hour she had become accustomed to his residence whirling around like a pro, setting the table and finishing off the food.

She turned quickly as she heard him audibly inhale, and seeing a bright face matched it with her own. She took in the sight before her, his underwear was now covered with a steel grey suit, a black shirt and a maroon and light grey stripped tie. His customary boots were upon his feet. "You know," he began, "I've always said there's nothing better than seeing a woman familiarize herself with my kitchen." It was now her turn for her perfectly arched eyebrows to rise.

Alex signalled for him to take a seat, putting the omelette filled plate down in front of him before gently swatting his arm for his remark. "It would help if you had food in your cupboards to be able to do something with."

Gene looked at the meal in front of him, "I'm surprised you managed to make this, what is it, by the way?"

"It's an omelette! Have you never had one before?"

"No, Bolly, can't say I have, I'm from the north we don't eat poncy stuff up there!"

"Well, this poncy food is extremely good for you and will keep you going until dinnertime without the need for a dozen or so biscuits. Just try it, if you don't like it you can easily get yourself an egg sandwich on your way to work."

Gene eyed the suspicious looking meal, not quite knowing what to make of it. He watched Alex as she sliced a bit off hers with her knife and fork and put the fluffy piece in her mouth. Cautiously he did the same beginning to chew his piece. The flavours that escaped into his mouth he was unsure of but Alex had definitely worked her magic and come up with a dish that he would try again. He gulped up another piece and then another. "What's in it?" He asked, in between mouthfuls.

"Egg, tomato, bit of onion, cheese, some seasoning," he gazed at her quizzically, "seasoning is salt and pepper," she watched him nod his understanding. "Do you approve, then?"

"Yep, this poncy nosh is good. You'll have to show me how to make 'em."

"You cook?"

"You don't think I spend every night in Luigi's eating his foreign muck, do you? Sometimes I go down the Indian you know!" He watched her reaction trying to gauge whether or not to tease her anymore, he decided not to. "When the wife left me I had to fend for meself. Quite the chef, I'll have you know!"

"Oh yeah, what's your speciality?"

"Shepherd's Pie."

"Oh, god I haven't had that in years, my mouth is just salivating from the thought of it."

Before he knew what he was saying, Gene retorted, "if I'd 'ave thought me mother's recipe would've got you to drop yer knickers, then I'd 'ave made you one as soon as you'd set foot in my office." He watched as the colour visibly drained from her face, she got up clearing the plates away, attempting to keep her composure as she washed up. Gene stood and crossed the short distance between them, he could see from the downcast eyes and the tiny speckles of water on her lashes that he'd clearly upset her. He held out his left hand to put on her shoulder but decided against the action, she'd needed a friend not some great lummox that couldn't keep his head out of the sewer. Mind you, he'd found it odd that she hadn't answered back as was usual for her. "Alex?" His voice was hoarse from his emotional state. "Alex?" He tried again, "I'm sorry, I seem to always be putting my great big flat feet in my equally big Manc gob where you're concerned. Last night you needed a friend, and I hope I was good enough for you. This morning I make the biggest tit of myself, and I want you for my friend 'cause I'm on my own too. Apart from with the people I work with, I don't go out much and I don't 'ave anyone I can talk to when I need someone. Forgive me, I only meant …"

Alex cut him off turning in the space to square up to him, "I know what you meant, maybe we crossed a line last night that we shouldn't have crossed but I obviously needed to hold onto something real, something that would allow me to feel comfortable and safe. You were my something, my someone. And if I mistook you for something you weren't in the past then I have to ask for your forgiveness. Apart from my daughter, you are the only real person to me in this alternate year I find myself in. That's why I'm upset, not because of what you said, but because I can't act upon what you said. I have to get back to my daughter, and that means no complications here, I'm sorry Gene, your friend I can be, your lover I can't."

Gene was sure his face was a picture, for at that moment he had no idea whether it would have been best for him to laugh or cry. He gently smiled at her before walking into the hallway and putting on his long black coat. "Think it's time I got off to work, I'll drop you back at yours on the way and maybe you can join me for a drink later on, we can chat a bit more, what do you think? Before she knew where she was, she had on her boots and her coat and Gene had ushered her out of his flat as he spoke, continuing with their conversation until they were sitting in the red Audi.

"Sounds good, I'm getting so bored though!"

"Already?"

"Already! I'm ready to come back to work, Gene."

"It's been two days, and you need to grieve."

"I did my grieving 26 years ago. I don't need to do anymore. I just need to be involved."

"Have today, come back tomorrow."

"Ok, tomorrow. So I'll meet you at about 7.00 later on then?"

"Ok, right, better fire up the Quattro," turning the key he started up the car and sped off through the streets of London, dropping off Alex at her flat on the way.

"Later then?" Alex said as she got out of the car and looked across to its driver. Gene merely nodded. She closed the door and just as quickly as they had arrived he had gone on his way.

She took her time walking up the steps to her front door, there was no rush today. She had all day to make herself beautiful for Gene. She did a double take, she'd meant what she'd said earlier on, and she didn't need complications in her life. Her mind whirled. She didn't need Gene? Who was she kidding, of course she needed Gene, they were like chalk and cheese, day and night, a fish and a bird; each needed the other to survive. She needed to get back to her daughter but that meant letting go of the one person who truly understood her even if it was in 1981. Was she willing to give that up so as to get back to her 2007 life? No, she mustn't fall in love with him that was the key, be friendly with him, banter with him, and argue with him even, but never cross that line again. Once she'd done that there would be no turning back and she would be torn between the devil and the deep blue sea. She knew that she would be able to move between the two worlds as Sam had done before her, however she didn't know if either Gene would be able or want to go to 2007, or Molly vice versa.

She fished in her pocket for her keys as she carried on climbing the steps. As she got to the door she saw it was open, stepping over the threshold she heard the uninterrupted chorus of "I'm happy, hope you're happy too!" as the record on the player kept jumping. Her heart stopped in her mouth as she made her way into the further recesses of the living room; if she could only get to the phone she knew she might have a chance. She saw it lying on the floor where she had left it that morning before going off to see Gene.

She rushed across the space picking up the receiver in her right hand, the cradle in her left. She checked for a dialling tone, there was one, quickly she punched the numbers into the phone but before it even had chance to connect and ring the phone went silent as a quiet hush surrounded her senses. "What the bloody hell is going on?" She shouted into the void of her flat not expecting a response. It surprised her when the end of the phone cable was chucked over to her, landing just in front of her kneeling form. She picked it and followed the direction it had come from with her eyes.

A figure stood in the darkened recess, a figure so dark and gloomy itself she could hardly make it out from where she was. Like a predator it moved from its spot slowly toward her, she was suddenly struck with fear and realisation as she saw the dark glasses perched on that bony nose she had only seen a matter of days ago. It was Arthur Layton.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded.

Taking the familiar gun from his inside pocket he aimed the weapon at her head, like he had done the day his bullet had sent her back to 1981. "I'm finishing the job I started and was paid for. Get up Alex; we're going on a river boat trip!"

TBC


	3. Sightings and Visions

A/N: Thank you again for all your reviews. I'm so happy that there are so many of you reading my little story and I hope you'll keep tuning in. This chapter is a little shorter but I wanted to set a scene up for a bit of grittier drama.

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone, yadda yadda.

Chapter 3 – Sightings and Visions

Gene Hunt strolled through the outer office to his own, surveying his jungle as he went. He saw Chris and Ray in their usual poses of reading a magazine whilst listening to a walkman and asleep with legs resting over an open desk drawer respectively. He half smiled, if there was one thing he could depend on then it was Chris and Ray being their usual selves.

He took off his coat and threw it in the general direction of the filing cabinet; it landed, if somewhat ungracefully, over the TV that had shown Alex's father's tape those few days previously. That's if he believed her, 'but,' he thought, 'there was too many coincidences for her story to be false and why would she lie. She had no reason to.'

Sitting down at his desk he opened the drawer to his right pulling out a glass and a half empty bottle of scotch. He knew it was early as he looked up to the clock, very early by his normal standards, but what the hell. As his gaze dropped his eyes roamed the vacated desk of his DI, knowing that today would last long enough without at least a couple of quick glances of her well rounded bottom tottering around or her ample bosom as she would invariably lean across his desk toward him spouting some kind of language that was English in origin but took on a meaning all of its own.

He picked up the receiver and began dialling the all too familiar number, hesitating before he hit the last two digits. Thinking about what he was about to do he replaced the receiver, it wouldn't be long before he saw her again and they would be talking and finding out more about each other providing their line of conversation led that way.

"Raymondo?" He hollered. His sergeant woke with a start and realising he was required by the Guv, made his way into his superior's office. Ray stood before his desk, arms folded over his chest, a look of both surprise and curiosity upon his face. "You look like a rabbit caught in the headlights." Gene paused, "Bolly knickers is havin' one more day off," Ray tutted and shook his head, "DS Carling, do I have to remind you again that she is your DI." Ray shook his head again. "Good and as such you are still acting DI until she is back, ok?"

"Yes Guv!"

"So, is there anything goin' on in my city today, Ray."

"Not much, Guv. Uniform are cleaning up after that raid yesterday and there's some CND rally goin' on outside Westminster today, apart from that though, nothin'."

"Right, so we'll be ready and willin' as soon as someone gives us a shout then."

"Aye Guv!" Ray started to turn and walk from the office and then remembered some information he had. He turned back and looked his DCI square in the face. "There is one thing, Guv!"

"Yes, Ray?"

"You know how you told me and Chris to start puttin' word around about Layton; well one of the snouts came up with somethin'!"

"And what were that?"

"He were spotted on the Isle a Dogs not three days ago and then down by the Docklands 24 hours later, maybe the spider is returning to the nest?"

"And, of course, you've both followed this up, haven't you?" Gene rose from his chair, leaning forward and pressing the knuckles of his fisted hands onto the desk in front of him. Anger swept his features as his mouth took on its familiar growl and pout.

"Well, actually Guv, we've had a few more pressing things to do …" Ray muttered, "see we had to do that raid and …"

"Ray, sometimes your actions stun me, and as you know I'm not easily stunned. What were more pressing, did both you and Chris need to fill your face on arse hangin' pasties or were there much more important issues to deal with down at Luigi's? And how long exactly have you known about this information?"

"Sorry Guv, but you haven't been yourself the last few days, didn't want to bother you like, you know when we first heard 'bout him."

"When did you know?"

"Two day ago!"

"And so for the last two days you've done nothing!" Gene's fury surpassed him, why was he working with such imbeciles. He knew Ray could be depended upon in a crisis and Chris was certainly cautious but sometimes he just wanted to grab hold of them both and shove them through an open window. If they had a brain cell between them they'd be very dangerous indeed. "I think," he started, "that its time to fire up the Quattro and see if we can find out anymore 'bout these sightings." He picked his coat up from where it had landed earlier and put it back on. "Ray, Chris, we're off!" He gestured as he strolled back through the office picking up his sidekicks as he went.

* * *

"STOP!" Layton shouted, as Alex drove his car by the run down, deserted factories that littered that side of the river. Slamming on the brakes, she hoped for a similar emergency stop that had happened in the Audi with Ray, but the Rover SD1 slid and weaved along the dirt covered track only to be halted by a patch of long grass as the car hit it. Layton gave her a sharp look indicating that he knew of her failed attempt, "not so smart then, are we, Alex!" He sneered.

Slowly he reached over her shuddering body, never letting his guard down; not even as he leisurely breathed in her scent and leered at the swell of her breast. He snatched the keys from the steering column, opened his door, got out of the car and walked around to her side, the gun constantly pointed at her head. He obviously knew he would be dealing with a sticky character and stood slightly away, having realised she would stop at nothing to get away from him; he had to make sure he kept control. "Get out Alex!" He ordered her.

Alex knew from her experiences in 2007, she was best to let Layton keep what control he had at that moment and made her movements slow and precise. He indicated that she should walk in front of him toward the quay. "What do you want from me, Layton?" She asked as steadily as she could, making sure that the quivering in her body didn't affect her voice.

"You and I are game players, Alex. You've played games with me, now it's my turn to return the favour." He answered cryptically.

"What do you mean? I've played no games with you." She said turning her head to look back at him.

"No, of course not," he smiled wickedly, "you have done or said nothing to me that would constitute some kind of game have you? I mean you've seen my future and I want to know what's in it. And as a result I'm going to get that info out of you by whatever means necessary before shooting you in your pretty little 'ead."

"I thought you wanted to marry me and have a child?"

"That was before I knew about you and ya boss! Have this policy – I neva share my women." He grabbed her hair pulling her head back to his own. "Now move it!" Layton pushed her forward encouraging her to cross the small steel walkway that led from the river's edge to a moored boat. She stumbled over the edge of the gangplank landing awkwardly on all fours on the hard deck surface, feeling the heel of her hands and her knees physically bruise on impact. Layton grabbed her jacket and pulled her back on her feet pushing her once more to move onwards. She passed a name and committed it to memory, 'Prince Eddie'. Other images began to invade her thoughts, memories of this situation happening before, or technically after, in 2007; images of Molly with Evan on the bridge by Tate Modern, and then one she didn't expect – DCI Gene Hunt running toward a very frightened child as her parents car was blown to kingdom come.

After being ushered through a maze of corridors Alex and Layton finally reached their destination. Passing her the key he ordered her to unlock the door and walk into the space. She looked around her prison not that she was able to see much, the portholes had been badly boarded up but chinks of light evaporated into the small room. In the middle stood a table and chair; and to her left she could make out a makeshift bed of a couple of blankets and a pillow. "So this is to be my new home," she heard herself say sarcastically trying to stay focused on the things that mattered to her the most.

"Yes," came the reply, before a swift kick to the back of her left leg had her falling to her knees once more as she heard the door slammed shut and locked behind her. She made her way over to the blankets, wincing and crying with the pain from her injury. She found the wall and leant her back against it attempting to stretch her leg out to ease away the discomfort, it only causing more anguish as stabbing pains shot up her leg into her abdomen. An onslaught of tears ensued as she tried to cope with her predicament. There was only one thing for her left to do and that was to call him. Her voice hoarse, she attempted to shout so that he would hear her but the words just seemed to fall from her lips before her body began shutting down. "Gene Genie, wherever you are, Alex needs you!"


	4. Clues and confusions

A/N: I'm sorry for this little chapter, not my best I'm afraid but I keep thinking about later chapters and am struggling to get there at the minute. Thanks to those ever so kind reviews and I hope I haven't put you off with this little chapter.

A/N (7th April): Updated chapter. Thanks Siggy for the comments and, because I try to be as professional (it took me a while to find out what STD codes London was using in 1981, and for those that are interested 432 was the original area code for Headquarters, City of London, which I thought was quite apt), as I can about things and I am completely sad, I have changed from BT to Buzby. Some History: British Telecom was part of the GPO (Post Office) until Oct 1981 when it severed its association with them, it was then privatised during July 1982 and finally became BT in 1991 as Siggy suggested. Enough enough, please just enjoy the chapter and thanks once more for the kind reviews, will try to write a bit more tonight and update asap.

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone, yadda yadda.

Chapter 4 – Clues and Confusions

"DCI Hunt, are you there? It's Viv, got a message for you, Guv?" Gene Hunt's radio hissed into action as Station Sergeant Viv James tried to contact his boss. "Gene, please, I really need to talk to you, it's about Drake!"

Gene took the long blue radio from his coats inside pocket, pressed down the button for him to talk and spoke into the microphone, "Keep your afro on, I'm here! What is it, Sergeant?"

"Luigi has just phoned and left a message for you. Seems there's a problem with Drake's flat. Apparently it looks like there's been a break in."

"And Drake?"

"She's not there Guv, but who's to say she's even been there for a while, Luigi said she's been quieter than usual but thought it best to leave her to herself until she was ready to venture out."

"Hmm," Gene wondered, 'where the hell could she be'. He quickly looked at his watch, 11.30 am; it had been a couple of hours since he'd dropped her off. But that was his secret, for now at least. "Ok, we'll pop by there on the way back; see what's been going on. We've just about finished here; Layton's gone to ground again." Gene's two 'most' trusted officers had returned to the car as Gene finished off his conversation. "Right, we're off to Luigi's"

"For an early dinner?" Chris asked hopefully.

"Or a late lunch?" Ray continued.

"Sorry no, it's actually work this time," Gene responded sarcastically, but the look on his face told a different story. Ray and Chris looked at one another before turning their attention back to the Guv. Coming out of his reverie he looked back to his companions before climbing into the driver's seat of his Quattro. "Seems there's been a break in at Drake's flat; Luigi, being the kind, honourable Italian that he is, was a little concerned about Drake being a bit too quiet and went to investigate." He started the engine as the other two piled in and took their seats. Before Ray had chance to fully close his door, Gene put the car in gear and put the accelerator to the floor.

It wasn't long before they had arrived at Luigi's and just as quickly climbed the stairs to Drake's flat. The door was already open, inviting them inside but Gene stopped just as soon as he'd crossed the threshold to survey the mess that lay before him. On first inspection he noticed that there had been no signs of a struggle; if Drake had been kidnapped surely she'd have put a fight, she was certainly capable of it to which his own jaw could testify. He stepped further into the living area allowing first Ray and then Chris to walk into the same area. "Chris, get dabs over here asap. I want this place dusted. Then start recording everything in here. Ray, you take the bathroom. I'm gonna check out the bedroom."

"Aye aye, Guv," Ray said, stopping abruptly when he noticed his DCI glaring at him. He nodded his acceptance and made his way to the closed bathroom door.

Gene was in a foul mood and he hoped and prayed that it wasn't going to get any darker as he began to stroll through the flat to the furthest open doorway, the one to her bedroom. He stood momentarily, aiming to control his racing heart and slow the perspiration that he could feel claming up his palms and his forehead. Summoning up the courage he walked through the doorway unsure of what he might find. It was dark, he couldn't see a thing. He crossed the room in order to open the curtains and once the task was done turned back around to look over the room.

"Nothing, Guv," Ray said from the doorway, "just normal everyday going's on in there." He waited for a response but got none, Gene was still eyeballing the room. "I'll help Chris then!"

Gene looked to the doorway to see the back of his DS departing back into the flat beyond. He walked over to the bed, searching it for any clues as to her disappearance. There were none. It wasn't made up on one side, but that was probably where she had been when she had woken from her fitful nights sleep and decided to get up and go to him. Just for clarification he pulled back the duvet from the side that appeared not to have been slept on. Nothing, a few stretches in the sheets but they had obviously appeared as a result of her attempts at slumber than from another person sharing her bed. He laid it back. No visible signs of a struggle in the room either, he was perplexed. "What the hell are you up to, Drake?" he whispered to no one or nothing in particular, "have you been stringing me a line? Are **you** part of 'care in the community'? 'Cause you're bloody acting like it." He hung his head, closed his eyes, and shook his head, what could he believe?

"Guv?" Chris shouted from the other room, bringing him quickly back to reality. "Guv, you've gotta see this?"

Gene walked back into the living room; Chris had picked up all of the paper that was on the floor putting the pieces into some kind of order. He looked over what seemed to be a handwritten calendar. The first date was 20th July – 'Arrived' it simply stated. The last was 10th October – 'Mum and Dad' was written down with a crucifix. Each of the dates and all of those in between had been methodically crossed through, presumably by Drake.

Chris had also started collating the other bits and pieces, news articles about Tim and Caroline Price, a phone number, business cards, note cards with meaningless words on them, but the most surprising item – a picture of …

"Isn't that Arthur Layton, Guv?" Ray said pointing to the man wearing mirrored shades in the picture. "What's Drake doing with a picture of 'im?"

"If only I knew!" Gene responded, strangely calm but confused all the same. "Why did you have his picture? Why did you really want to go t' see 'im?" He whispered.

"What were that, Guv?" Ray asked watching his DCI shake his head.

"Ray, I want you to go back t' office and find out all you can 'bout Layton, I want to know all 'bout his time inside, visitors 'e's had, what they were there for, etc, etc. Take Chris with ya; get uniform to drop ya back. I'm going to lock up 'ere after dabs have gone and 'ave a word with Luigi." Ray and Chris left, leaving him in the flat alone. He picked up all the bits of paper, folded them together and stuck them all in his inside jacket pocket.

He decided to take one last look and turned in a circle casting an experienced eye over the scene that Chris and Ray had swept over earlier. He stopped and glanced back, what was the phone doing on the floor, just lying there with the handset dropped to one side. He searched for anything that would give him a clue as to why it was there but nothing really stood out … apart from … the phone cord, the end that should have been plugged into the wall socket was near the phone coiled around as if someone had thrown it across the room.

Whilst he had been searching for clues, dabs had arrived and had started dusting for prints. "Sergeant, I want that phone dusted too," he shouted over, the officer nodded his acceptance. Gene spotted the telephone socket and made his way over to it, his stomach lurched with anticipation as he found himself in the dark alcove that Layton had been stood in earlier. Something made his gut ache, an instinct, it told him that Layton was involved in this, find Layton, find Alex, but he needed clues and evidence. He also needed time but he wasn't sure how long.

'First things first,' he thought. He took out the radio and pushed the button. "Viv? I need you to do something."

"What's up, Guv?"

"Can you get on to Buzby and get a list of the numbers that have been most recently called from the phone in the flat."

"What's the number?"

Gene walked back to the phone and kneeled down to get a look at the handset. "Right Viv, its 01 432 9681."

"Thanks, I'll get on to it straight away."

Gene retraced his steps, his gut was normally good but his nose was better and his hunches, better still. Maybe there was something here he was missing, but what was it. He searched through the coats and other garments hanging up in the alcove and went through pockets to see if there was anything untoward. He looked down to the floor, an iron had been knocked over, water from inside had spilt over the floor and there was a mark. He knelt down again looking at what appeared to be a print. Again there was another closed curtain over his shoulder. Grabbing the hem he pulled the curtain back, a flood of light splashing over the area he had been looking at, there was a print there and he knew it wasn't from a woman's shoe, it was from a man's boot.

He called Viv back on the radio and asked him to send forensics over. Letting himself out he stood at the top of the stairs, he had done his bit for now and he had to let dabs and forensics do theirs. It was unnecessary for him to watch over them so he went in search of Luigi and found him in his restaurant getting ready for service.

"Ah, Signore Hunt, you 'ave come to ask me about the Signorina, no?" Luigi asked as he watched Gene plod into the restaurant and take a seat at the bar. Luigi pulled him a pint and sat it in front of him, but Gene seemed uninterested, he was a man with a purpose, 'a man innamorato,' thought the Italian.

"Yes, Luigi, tell me why you went up to see if she was alright? Did you suspect something?"

"Only that it was unusually quiet. She is not a good sleeper, she's up and a down all night, sometimes disturbs my wife. But after having an uninterrupted night I thought I'd better check on her. That's when I found the door open and the flat empty, I phoned you. Signore Hunt, you don't look your normal self, are you ok?"

He fell over his words, "I'm fine, I'm just concerned about Dra … Bolly … " To call her by anything other than her name seemed disrespectful. "Alex," he finished moodily, his eyes downcast. He looked back up to Luigi, "did you not hear anything or see anything unusual, Luigi, I mean, even very early this morning?"

"Well, I … I mean I heard her leave the flat about 3 o'clock and heard her come back about 9 o'clock this morning but nothing more. She doesn't know how to shut her door quietly that woman." Gene smiled at Luigi's observation and wondered if she was ever quiet about anything. He briefly remembered their dinner date the night she had told him she was leaving, the night she told him that she thought she'd 'rather miss' him.

"And you wouldn't have heard her go again because the door was left open, so you wouldn't have seen her leave with anyone. Which means you wouldn't have known if she'd been forced down the stairs or had a gun pointed at her head, would you?"

"No, Signore, do you think this is what 'as happened?"

"Yes, Luigi, things are certainly lookin' that way."

"Could she 'ave been taken off this morning and brought back for something before being taken off again?"

"No!" The word shot out before Gene had chance to check himself.

"You seem very certain Signore!"

"I am; it doesn't work like that." That wasn't going to cover it and he had to tell someone. "Luigi, she came to see me this morning, I brought her back here at 9."

"Oh, Signore, that is … I'm so 'appy … but now, you must be beside yourself?"

"Luigi, don't get above yerself. We're … friends." Gene couldn't help himself, he knew he wanted more but Alex had told him 'no' so that was what he had to live with. He hated himself for it.

"But your dinner date the other night, when Signorina Drake was dressed so beautifully?"

"Luigi, stop it! You know as well as I do that she was telling me she was leaving."

"She didn't though, did she?"

"Luigi, it's complicated, she's got a kid that she 'as t' get back to …"

"Oh … well … everything will turn out for the best and I'm sure you'll not be forgotten along the way. She is very fond of you."

"Mmm, she told me she'd miss me very much, made me smile, Luigi!" His pouted expression painted back on his face.

Luigi stopped polishing the wine glass he had in his hand, put the objects on the bar and leant forward. He rested his hand on Gene's forearm and half smiled back to Gene in his knowing Italian way, before returning to his work. He watched as Gene uncharacteristically got up from his seat and walked out of the restaurant leaving his pint untouched on the bar. He shook his head as he took the pint glass from the bar and threw the liquid in the sink. If Gene Hunt could walk out of a bar without having a drink then he must have fallen hard, "I only hope he doesn't fall too hard and crack his head."


	5. What about a boat?

A/N: Ooh, seems like I've got a few of you hooked to my ramblings. Thank you and bless you all. Hope I can keep you all interested. A lot happier with this little segment too, starting to get where I want to be – so I hope you'll all stick with me.

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone, yadda yadda.

Chapter 5 – What about a boat?

CID was uncommonly busy when DCI Gene Hunt walked in, everyone seemed to be working on the cases in hand and there was a lot of buzz about Layton as countless conversations where going on about that subject around him. Ignoring it for the time being, he strode round the back of DI Drake's desk and rolled out the whiteboard that she had used those few days leading up to the Prices' death. He stood back and looked at it, it read 'Billboard – Gently Does It!', '10 am Ash Street', 'Timer/Cassette Player', 'Blue Ford Escort – W Reg' with a picture of a car, 'School', 'Tim & Caroline Price' and 'Bomb' in a big cloud, most of these had been crossed through as if Alex had been satisfied they'd been dealt with. The final word was 'Layton?', and it was obviously there because at the time Alex wrote it she didn't know where Layton fitted into the scenario at that time.

He took out the bits of paper from his jacket pocket, unfolded them and laid them out in front of him. He sat at her desk, grabbed the roll of sticky tape that sat in the top filing in-tray on her desk and began methodically piecing the bits of torn paper back together. Then he put those that seemed to be in some kind of order in that order, patching them together with more tape. By looking over both the evidence that lay on her desk and that which was on the whiteboard, Gene was able to ascertain that what Alex had told him was true and, assuming that she had come to 1981 from the future, Layton was most definitely the man that had pulled the trigger, hitting her in the head with a bullet and sending her to Gene for a second time. He remembered his words, "Bye little lady, any problems you just call the Gene Genie," and smiled, was this really fate? Had she called out to him for help and he had come running? In 2007 he'd be 66, retired and 30 some odd years her senior; if he was even still alive at that age he could only ever be a father figure to her, again he'd only get to be her friend.

He sighed heavily, clawing his fingers through his hair as realisation hit him; he was far too old for her. However, she was still his DI and she was in trouble. She needed him, the Gene Genie, she needed him to find her and get her back to her daughter and that was exactly what he was going to do. "Raymondo, what do we have on Layton?"

"Before the Prices' went up in smoke," Ray related, in his usual cocksure way, "I told Drake that he had form for using explosives, and one of the officers at the 'Scrubs' told me that he'd been prattlin' on about 'ow 'he'd been something back in the day' and 'ow 'Drake knew 'bout his future'. It don't make much sense to me but maybe it'll help tie up some loose ends eventually."

'It already has,' Gene thought mulling over the words of his DS. So Layton had form for using explosives, which tied in with what both Alex and Evan White had told him. But what about Layton's words; Alex must have said something to Layton when Gene had taken her to see him at Wormwood. She must have waited until after Gene had quitted the room. It made sense, she wouldn't have wanted to give anything away before that point but to Layton, when he was on his own, it wouldn't have mattered. After all, she would have assumed that Layton was going to be safely ensconced in his cell at the time of her parent's death.

Gene thought more about the events that had lead up to Alex's parents' death. It hadn't been until they got to court that fateful morning that they both were told by Evan that Layton had been released due to his case being successfully overturned by Tim Price and his legal team. Was that why Evan was at Wormwood just after Alex's and Gene's visit? And why had Evan quit? Gene sighed again, it seemed like he would have to see Evan and get some explanations to his questions. There was another too, what was Evan doing at the Bomb site? Evan would have known that the Price's were picking up their daughter from school but that didn't really explain why he was there.

Gene looked up from the papers that lay in front of him, in order to question his staff, "anything from dabs or forensics?" He asked.

Chris rifled through some of the paperwork on his desk, turning over folders and statements trying to find what he was looking for; he'd be glad when Shaz returned to work; she'd have been able to pick up the file straight away. He cleared his throat, "dabs have got back to us and apart from DI Drake's prints, the others that they've found are inconclusive."

Gene scowled, "Inconclusive?"

"Yeah, someone knew what they were doing and wiped their prints. Forensics said there's not much there, they have found a hair that isn't one of Drake's but obviously can't match it yet. And the print is from a Dr Marten boot, size 11."

"What colour is it?"

"Eh?" Ray asked, unsure of the question.

"The hair, what colour is it?"

"Oh, erm, dark brown, straight and a bit longer than your length." Chris informed him.

Gene knew even before he had to say it, "Layton!"

"Guv?"

"Raymondo, for some reason DI Drake has been kidnapped by Arthur Layton, she needs our help and we must do everything we can to find her before he does something stupid."

"Stupid, Guv?"

"Yes, like hurt her or kill her. It wouldn't be beneficial if she was found dead!" Gene got up from Alex's desk and made his way through the office to his own. On his travels he overheard the hushed interaction between Ray and Chris, Ray asking the question 'beneficial to 'oo', Chris merely shrugging his shoulders. "Ray, in here, now!"

Ray summoned up whatever he could to get up from his seat, "hurry up!" He heard the DCI shout as he saw Gene closing all of the blinds at his office windows. Ray crossed the threshold and was told to close the door behind him. He did as he was told and took a seat on the table that sat to the right of the Guv's desk.

"I assume you're going to apologise for your indiscretion?" Gene asked.

Ray, knowing he'd been caught in the act shrugged his shoulders. "Err, aye, Guv. Sorry Guv!"

"Mmm," Gene frowned, unsure if he should really be telling his DS what he was about to. "Ray, as you may be aware I am much more serious than usual due to the fact that my DI has disappeared," he saw Ray nod his head sullenly, "Alex … DI Drake," he corrected, "has imparted information to me that as evidence reveals itself, I am tending to believe. She's told me stuff about Tyler that there was no way she could've known. And the stuff she's told me about 'erself, well lets just say that although it was, at times, incomprehensible … it has credence. Now I know this may be a stretch for you Ray, but I'm asking you to take a leap of faith for me, I may come up with some information that seems quite ridiculous at times but I need you to trust me that what I'm telling you is factual and will help us find Bolly. Right?"

"Ok, Guv, of course. I've always trusted your instinct and I'm not gonna stop now. You 'ave my word, I'll trust you with this one. No questions asked!"

"Thank you. So, to start with Alex was shot by Layton, they have history. He also helped kill her parents. The reason she knew so much about the bombing with the Prices' was because the same thing happened to her parents. Inform Chris that he and the rest of the team must carry on searching for and trying to get sightings of Layton. You and me'll then go through the case files that we've worked on since Bolly arrived, ok? There might be something that connects all the dots with all those bits of paper on her desk."

"Ok, Guv, I'll start organising it," getting up from his seat, Ray made his way toward the door.

"Thanks, Ray, I appreciate this."

"I know boss, don't worry, we'll find her for you!" Ray's eyes shot skyward as he realised his mistake.

"What d'you mean by that?" Gene asked perplexed, leaning forward over his desk, scowling at Ray's back.

Ray turned back to his boss, "well, err," he shook his head, "we all know 'ow you feel 'bout her. We found that doodle you did, then the way you both acted around one another and the looks. I know most people think that I miss things but I do work in CID and I'm not blind, Guv'!"

Gene shook his head and quickly half smiled allowing the frown to reappear quickly, "is it that obvious?"

"No, Guv'. It's lost on most of 'em, I suppose I've been around you that long I can read you better. We'll knuckle down and find both 'im and 'er."

Gene watched Ray as he turned and walked through the doorway carefully shutting the door behind him. "I hope so," he said to himself, "I can't lose her, not like this anyway!"

* * *

Alex awoke to the sound of footsteps and shuffling above her. She could hear muffled voices, two of them and both were male. One she was sure was Layton but the other, although sounding familiar couldn't quite place it. She listened as best she could but was unable to make any words out so she sat in the now darkened room following movements instead.

It wasn't long before the conversation was finished and one of the men walked from the boat and up the wooden gangplank. She heard a car started and then the other set of feet were walking around the boat getting ever closer to her prison.

She winced and covered her face as she was momentarily blinded by the door being opened. Looking back to the doorway she could make out the bony silhouette of her captor as he walked to the table and threw something on its top. He produced a can of Coke from his pocket and put that on the table as well. "Dinner is served, madam," he sneered. "Hope it's to your likin', not that it matters. That's all you're gettin'!"

She looked up to him from where she sat, if only she'd had the strength she'd have got up from her statuesque position and beat the bastard to kingdom come. But, she realised, her leg was out of action and she could do nothing to help herself escape. As a human being whose number one instinct was to survive she had no other option than to wait until Gene could do the job for her. She knew he would and with relish, it was just a matter of time. "Thank you," she said politely, "although if I'm expected to eat in the dark, I'm not going to be able to make it to that table without causing more damage to my leg."

"Hurtin' you, is it?"

"A little, yes!"

"Good, don't expect me to play nurse maid, Alex." Layton replied, grabbing the dinner from its resting place and throwing the package to her. He then picked up the can, opened it, took a gulp and licked the rim somewhat salaciously. Crouching down he positioned the can by her lifeless right foot keeping a leering watch on her all the while. He stood up again and quickly backed out of the room contemptuously laughing at her. She could hear the laughter continue until she again heard the faint hum of a car engine spark into life and driven off. She was alone once more.

As she felt the clammy newspaper in her hands, a faint whiff of salt and vinegar flew to her nostrils. Fish and chips, a Great British tradition and not normally her dinner of choice. However, it was food and she needed to keep up her strength especially considering she had to nurse her right leg back to life. She lent forward feeling for her foot, carefully moving her hand around to find the can without knocking it over. She found it, picked it up and brought it to herself. Pulling the cuff of her blouse down she wiped it around the rim, knowing it probably wouldn't make much difference but making her feel better for doing it. She took a swig and gasped, she remembered that Coke was sweet but not like this. God, what she wouldn't do for a glass of red wine or a spot of whiskey, along with some well needed company and witty repartee from DCI Hunt. Anything would be better than this.

Alex opened up the paper and used her fingers to feel for her food, eventually finding a couple of chips and putting them in her mouth. Considering she wasn't used to this kind of cuisine she enjoyed it and ate up the contents of the newspaper heartily. She was about to screw up the paper and throw it when her brain kicked into gear and told her to tear off a corner. 'Good idea', she thought, at least that way she would be able to keep a track of the days better, especially if she was going to be spending an unfortunate amount of time on the boat. The one thing she had to do was keep her mind active, if she shut off then she was as good as dead.

She suddenly realised she'd not had the chance to look at her leg since she'd blacked out earlier and thought that this was as good a time as any to see what damage Layton had actually done. Her extensive training had encompassed many different fields and administering first aid had been one of them, 'thank the lord otherwise Shaz would've been left for dead,' she thought. She felt down her right leg methodically, checking along the tibia first before moving down the outside of her leg and her fibula. With the force that Layton had used against her leg he had managed to crack it into three pieces.

Alex decided that she needed to splint it, but with what? She could tear a couple of strips of fabric from the makeshift bed but she needed something straight to bind her leg to. She knew the table and chair were in the middle of the room but that would be too obvious if she started breaking up furniture, it would surely be noticed by one or either of her captors and the last thing she wanted was for them to realise what emergency repairs she'd administered on herself.

She remembered that there was a wooden structure in the bow end of the room and if that was as old as the boat she was imprisoned upon then she could possibly break some of it off. As her eyes had now become slightly accustomed to the light she was able to drag herself toward the front of the boat and feel around her to find the structure she had remembered seeing. She felt from left to right, top to bottom, back to front, everywhere she could in order to find something that she could get her hands behind and rip up. At last she found a fault and was able to get her fingers far enough in in order to put some force behind the wooden batten and lift it. It took some time and effort but she was eventually presented with a piece of timber that she could use.

She dragged herself back to her bed and found the one sheet amongst the blankets. Using the heel of her left boot she was able to start a tear in the fabric and tore off a couple of strips. She held the wood splint against her lower leg whilst she bound it with the fabric tapes, pulling tight and cringing against the pain. The job was soon done and she lent back against the cabin wall, virtually exhausted. She pulled at a blanket and laid that over her, then propped her head with the cushion that had emerged from the pile as she'd tugged to get the sheet free earlier.

It was then that hysteria took over, her exertion and situation suddenly hitting her full force and she quickly went from sobbing outlandishly to uncontrollably laughing before returning to the former. She thought about what she would be doing ordinarily and remembered her date. She was meant to be meeting Gene for drinks and a chat. At least that meant one thing, if he didn't know already that she was missing then he'd know by now surely. If she hadn't had turned up, he'd have gone up to the flat and tried to find her, wouldn't he? She only hoped he would. She began crying again, tears gushing down her cheeks as she thought about him sitting there, waiting for her to arrive and becoming angrier with her as the minutes ticked on past their arranged meeting time. He would never quite be sure whether he should climb the stairs to the flat or join in with the rest of his colleagues as he waited for her to eventually show her face. She thought about how glum he'd look, whether he'd show resignation like he'd done that morning as well as on their dinner date when she'd turned him down.

She needed to cheer up and fast, what to think of? It was no good thinking of Molly, not even the good times, as that presented itself with severe problems of Alex missing her far too much. She couldn't think of her parents or Evan, she'd had so much heartache to contend with there as well. It didn't leave her with much so she finally decided upon Gene coming to save her like on the many occasions he'd done before.

She remembered her first encounter with him and laughed to herself. She'd been so caught up in everything that when his strong arms had stopped her from becoming part of a car wreck then had effortlessly picked her up and carried her into CID, she'd not quite been able to believe the realism of it all putting everything and everyone down to her imagination. 'And don't bloody waggle your fingers when you say my name!" She remembered him shout at her.

It had been actually been from the moment he'd told her that he was going to do the right thing and that she should do the same that she'd started warming towards him. He'd quite rightly shouted at her when she'd finally turned up for work the following day, confronting her about her indiscretions with some yuppie tosser. At least it had shown, in some small way, that he cared about her and what she was getting up to.

Then they were locked in a vault in Edgehampton together and he'd gone on about her being some kind of test, giving her a strange look when she'd woken from her bad dream, asking her about that 'Evan fella', to finally putting his arm around her to comfort her when she'd asked him if she could really die. Of most of their 'moments' together that had been one of the best, cuddling up to the firm chest of the self professed 'Manc Lion', smelling his 'man stink' and firmly believing that that man could save her from anything.

He'd proved it too, she'd firmly believed she was going to die when he'd finally found her in the walk-in fridge in the Cales' restaurant. He'd had to get her to begin breathing so administered CPR; she remembered nearly fainting as soon as she'd come to, his handsome yet rugged face so dangerously close to hers as he'd started to go in for mouth-to-mouth resuscitation just as she'd opened her eyes, his piercing blue eyes then searching hers as realisation that he wasn't now needed setting in. From that moment on all she could imagine was having him finally put his lips to hers and kiss her whole heartedly. It could all have been so different now, but what would she have done if a decision had to be made about her future. She shook her head and screamed out, "Why does everything always have to be so bloody difficult?"

She lay down on the blankets covering herself as best she could to keep the chill from her bones. She wanted to sleep now, she wanted to dream. Gene would soon invade her slumber making her rest better and probably allow her to forget the dull throb of her broken leg. "Gene I need you," she shouted pleadingly, then dropped her voice to a whisper, "I love you!" She closed her eyes and rested knowing that she would soon be asleep unaware that she'd had a reply … "And I love you, Bols! Don't worry; your Gene Genie is comin' to get you!"

* * *

Gene had stayed purposefully in the office as he knew going anywhere else would be a chore. He nursed the glass of whiskey in his hand mulling over everything that had recently happened. He wasn't prepared to go to Luigi's with the others because he knew there was no-one waiting for him as there should've been and his company would be less than tolerant tonight without her calming influence.

He didn't want to go home either; there was still evidence of her being in his apartment even to the simple gestures she had undertaken, like the washing up and the tidied living room. Rarely did he make his bed and that would've been the worst thing he'd have had to endure, knowing they'd been there together her head nestled into his chest, her arms about his neck as he'd bodily moved so close to her it had almost made his heart stop as he breathed in her scent.

He lit another cigarette and took a long drag. All he could think about was her, the way her hair danced as she flounced through his office, the wiggle of her hips, and the bounce of her breasts. Which brought him back to that red basque he'd seen when they'd been stuck in that vault together, he thought he'd never get through that without his fingers getting burnt and another thump to the chin. But he managed to get his mind out of the gutter when she'd asked him if she could die and he ended up comforting her by putting his arm around her. He still didn't know if she was a C or D cup, he'd have to remember to ask again, she'd probably tell him now too, that was if he could ever find her.

"Where are you Alex?" He mused, "where would Layton think of taking you?" Maybe if he thought long and hard he'd be able to think of a viable place. He sat back in his chair and put his feet up on the desk in front of him, the cigarette burning away in his hand as a thought blossomed in his head. "Boats," he said to himself, "'e's got a thing about boats, maybe he's got her on one. He shot her on one, she woke up here on one of his too, and I'll get Chris on to it tomorrow. I've got to see Evan as well," he reminded himself. He relaxed a bit more his gut instinct telling him he was along the right lines, scum like Layton had set patterns and they usually followed them to the letter.

His eyes closed momentarily as he allowed himself to shut down for a while but they were open just as suddenly with a start when he thought he'd heard her call for him. God, he must've had it bad if he'd imagined her shouting his name and saying she'd needed him. But it was her next comment that had astounded him, it was quiet but he knew instinctively what she'd said, "I love you!" "And I love you, Bols!" He said without even thinking about it, "Don't worry; your Gene Genie is comin' to get you!"


	6. The trail is warming up!

A/N: These chapters are coming thick 'n' fast now, so I hope you're all ready for 'em. Still a few twists and turns to go. Please keep reading and reviewing. Many thanks to those that have.

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone, yadda yadda.

Chapter 6 – The trail is warming up!

DS Ray Carling waltzed into CID with purpose, being the first to arrive he switched on the lights and made his way through the office to the kitchenette in order to make himself a brew. As he walked past the Guv's office he noticed the snoring form of his boss hunched over his desk, his arms folded under his head supporting it. "Christ!" Ray spat out and went to help him.

"Boss, boss?" He called out, edging his way around the DCI's desk and tentatively beginning to nudge the sleeping figure. Ray pushed Gene's side; he called out louder hoping to wake him, "Guv'?"

Finally Gene was awake. He stretched his whole body up from the desk and began opening his eyes, struggling against the bright lights of the office. "You makin' a brew?" He asked Ray as he noticed him from the corner of his eye. Ray was soon back on his route march as Gene got up from his chair and followed him. Rubbing his chin he decided he needed to have a shave and found his shaving kit in the drawer by the sink. "Long time since I've done this, eh?" He mentioned as Ray carried out the task of making two mugs of steaming hot sweet tea.

"Aye, Guv'. Long time since any of us 'ave. Are you feelin' any better this mornin'?"

"I won't feel any better 'til we've found Bolly. I'm gonna go and see that Evan bloke, so I'll leave you in charge for a bit. Need Chris to go over the records for Layton's boats, those that weren't seized. 'Ave this suspicion that he may 'ave her held captive on one of 'em."

"Why, boss? 'E's got plenty of 'em lock up's in Shadwell, shouldn't we be lookin' there first?"

"Ray, this is one of 'em moments that I were talkin' 'bout yesterday. Alex were shot by Layton, on a boat. She also came to, on one of 'is boats, remember, that day we found 'er dressed like a prossie. There's some connection there but my gut instinct isn't goin' to be enough on its own. We need evidence and we need t' know what we could be up against, need a bit of surveillance."

"Right, ok boss, I'll get 'im onto it as soon as 'e turns in!"

"Good, right I'll swig me tea and be off."

* * *

It was hard to imagine that Gene was once more stood in front of the imposing Victorian Villa with the huge black painted door that had once been, was, the childhood home of Alex Drake, Alexandra Price. The last time he had been there he had been the bearer of bad tidings, having to ask Caroline Price why it was that a murdered man had explicit photographs of her with Evan White. He remembered as if it were yesterday, the way Alex had laid into the person he now knew to be her mother. At the time he'd thought she was some kind of lunatic that was a couple of pence short of a pound but he now realised why she had reacted in the way that she had. And quite rightly so, he'd have reacted in a similar way had he been the one in Alex's shoes. Still, he'd been surprised when they continued with their friendship after that and then finding them in the interview room that day, crying and cuddling. He felt ashamed at what he'd said, but he'd had no idea at the time.

He passed through the half open iron gate and found his way up the steps to the front door; he rang the bell waiting patiently, looking around him at the scene that would have greeted Alex when, as a kid, she'd have stepped out of the house to the waiting outside world. It was perfect, so quiet and friendly he hardly believed himself to be in London. The door was opened and there she stood, Alexandra, looking up once more into the face of the man that had shielded her and taken her out of harms way in his arms the day her parents had died. "Hello, little lady. Remember me?"

She nodded her head, the tiniest smile creeping over her tear stained face. He looked her over trying to make out the smallest details of comparison of the woman this girl was to turn into. Her hair was lighter than that of her older self but there was no mistaking the eyes, those warm hazel irises that he was forever getting lost in. He coughed, slightly nervous at his minds train of thought whilst attempting to recover his disposition. "Is Mr White about, I need to ask 'im a couple o' questions?"

She opened the door wider so that he could cross the threshold. Closing the door behind him he stood in the centre of the hallway, waiting for her to return or Evan to appear. Evan soon emerged from the living room, strode over to Gene and put his hand out for Gene to take.

"DCI Hunt, thank you for your help so far with the little matter of my guardianship of Alex."

"Gene, please," he said as he took hold of Evan's hand and gave it a firm shake. "And as for helping you out, Mr White, it's a pleasure. I know that Alex will be in safe hands wit' you." He wasn't entirely sure if he liked what he said but his Alex seemed to have been brought up well, Evan must have been able to do something right, with the kid at least.

"It's Evan. Please, come into the dining room. I've asked Alex to stay in the living room for the time being in case there is anything we talk about that would be inappropriate in front of her." Evan walked into the dining room; Gene followed closing the door behind him. "So, what is the problem? What can I help you with?"

"It's Alex," Gene began realising he needed to correct himself, "DI Drake, she's gone missin'. I need to ask you a couple o' questions about events leading up t' the bomb, is that ok?"

"Yes, of course. What do you want to know?" Evan replied, taking a seat at the table. Gene followed suit.

"Could you please explain to me why it was that you tendered your resignation the day of the bombing?"

"I didn't believe that what Tim was doing was right. He used every trick he knew to get Layton out on a technicality. After the court overturned the initial ruling, I confronted Tim. We argued. I resigned. I wasn't prepared to work for a man I couldn't trust anymore."

"But you still lent 'im your car?"

"Yes, but that was for Caroline really, and Alex. I loved her you know, Caroline. I would have done anything for her. Anything!"

"Mmm. So, how come you were sprinting across the common before the bomb went off?"

"Alex, DI Drake I mean, when she'd panicked about Tim borrowing my car I couldn't help myself. I had to get there, for Caroline and Alexandra. I knew Tim was extreme but I'd never have believed he could want to … well … harm his family over one indiscretion."

"Sometimes that's all it takes, Evan one little indiscretion. It's enough to send some people over the edge."

"Yes, but not like this."

"I take it then, you were at Wormwood the day before the incident to talk to Layton?"

"Yes, Tim was so insistent that he was innocent, I was there to find information that we could use to plead his case. I didn't like it but then I was still being bullied by Tim at the time."

"Thank you. That's all I really needed to know, unless … ?"

"What, Gene?"

"You wouldn't happen to have any information on Layton would you, possible addresses, accomplices, boats?"

"As a matter of fact," Evan got up from his seat and walked over to his briefcase. He put it on the table, opened it and pulled out a folder. "I thought you'd ask me about him at some point in time, everything is there. I was going to bring it over when I had a moment. Take it with you." He handed the folder to Gene who thanked him with a nod.

Gene got up from his seat readying himself to leave. He stopped and turned back to Evan, he didn't seem that bad really. Jealousy, Gene decided, was probably one of the main factors that had made him distrust Evan in the first place, the fact that Alex had wanted to spend time with Evan rather than himself. Obviously, he hadn't known then that he was actually her godfather; he hadn't known a lot then really. He'd assumed too much. It was now time to give something back. "How's she coping?" He asked, tipping and nodding his head toward the living room where Alex had been asked to take sanctuary.

"Very well, considering. The funeral's next Friday so I'm expecting a lot of heartache then. We've got to wait for the inquest before details of the estate will be released. Everything will come to Alex and I shall need to find out what she wants to do. I think eventually she'll want to move away from here, a fresh start. It'll be good for both of us."

Gene nodded, "I think that would be wise, Evan." He made his way back to the front door and opened it. "Bye then," he said, turning back to Evan and noticing that Alex had stuck her head around the living room door frame. "Bye little lady." He smiled.

She smiled back and waved.

"Goodbye, Gene. Maybe our paths will cross in the future."

"Aye, maybe. You know where I am if ya need anythin'!" It was Gene's turn to extend his hand. Evan gratefully took it.

"Um … before you go, could you give Alex a message when she turns up?" Gene nodded. "She'll always be welcome if she wants to chat or anything."

Gene nodded again. "I'll tell her, Evan," knowing full well that even if he did her mind would be firmly set against it. He descended the steps and turned back noticing the door was now firmly closed. He surveyed the outside of the building before he finally departed. All was at peace, save for a look of anguish on the face of a young girl named Alexandra, the same look he had received on many previous occasions from the woman that he knew as Alex Drake; the woman, he realised at that very moment, he loved very much.

* * *

_At last, Gene had come to rescue Alex, her knight in shining armour, picking her up with such tenderness as she'd laid there completely helpless on the floor. In what seemed like seconds she was safely surrounded by the familiar bodywork of the red Audi Quattro, and within a few more she was in his apartment. He'd carried her again from the car finally settling her on the end of his bed._

_Miraculously, her leg had healed between being taken from the boat and arriving in Gene's flat, 'if only that could happen in real life' she'd thought. He'd knelt in front of her as he'd done so those few nights before, helping her to take off her boots, telling her that he would let her rest once his task was completed. But rest was the last thing she'd needed especially if she was to be left on her own again. What she needed most was company._

_She struggled to get up from the bed initially but once she was on two feet she was able to make it across the room to the half open door. She tore it open and strode decisively into the hallway looking for her prey, finding him with her eyes and out manoeuvring him, cornering him quickly. She swiftly closed the distance between them, readying her limbs for action. She wanted him, why was it now he had chosen to be a gentleman?_

_Her arms snaked around his neck pulling his head toward hers as she went in for the kill. A moment later and her mouth was on his, tentatively at first, ascertaining and gauging his reaction to her kiss. It soon became clear that he was responding and she used this opportunity as a sign to take it further. His mouth parted allowing her the access she needed, her tongue darting about seeking out his own. Finally, they found each other and their kiss deepened. He blindly found the kitchen worktop behind him and placed his glass on the side; his hands began their assault on her body, finding her waist first and then moving south to stroke and cup the peaches of her bottom. She moaned; an indication for him to carry on but he felt the need to take back some control if this was what she truly wanted._

_Reluctantly he pulled away, his bright blue eyes searching her cool hazel orbs, "Alex?" He asked, as she tried to retake his mouth with her own. He pulled his head back to put distance between them, a grim look on his face. "Do you really want this __overweight, over-the-hill, nicotine-stained, borderline alcoholic?"_

_Confused by his question she straightened herself up__, the length of her body crushing against his by her action. 'Yes!' Both her head and her heart screamed before her mouth motioned into gear. "Yes, Gene, the reason I'm here doing exactly this is because I love the overweight, over-the-hill, nicotine-stained, borderline alcoholic, you. And I want to show you just how much! Don't you want this posh, mouthy tart with a head full of brains and the common sense of a grain weevil?"_

"_Yes!" He exclaimed, "very much so. I've wanted you since the first moment I laid my eyes on you, only then I thought you were a prossie, remember?" He grinned._

"_Lest we forget!" She returned, smiling. "So?"_

"_So … I love you, Bols. An' I want to show you 'ow much, but I'm just concerned that this is all because of what happened on that boat. Not two day ago you were tellin' me that you could only be me friend an' not my lover!"_

"_That was two days ago. And I was most definitely wrong!" She moulded herself to his body not wishing to let go for fear of not being able to show this man exactly how much he meant to her, she hoped it was enough to show him he was under no illusion and that she wasn't under the influence of anything narcotic. He questioned her once more with his eyes and she nodded her acceptance of him giving him the green light he needed._

_It was his turn to now take the initiative, bending his head back to hers and arresting her mouth with his. He urgently pressed on hoping that this wasn't just some dream, that what he was party to was very real. He pulled away, "Are you really sure about this? There's no goin' back for us once we've crossed this line." Smiling generously at him she nodded, this was what she wanted and it felt right. Never before had it felt so right, not even when Molly was conceived had it felt like this._

_Thankfully, her reaction to him was enough, Gene hauled her bodily into his arms, his hands supporting her buttocks as she crossed her legs around the back of his waist. They kissed again as they crossed the short distance from the kitchen into the bedroom only stumbling as they reached the bed, falling tangled onto the mattress beneath them._

_Their__ clothes strewn all over the room, their love making done and their bodies spent, they curled together into their familiar blissful pose. Gene kissed the top of Alex's head and brought her closer to him never wanting to let her go. "I love you, Alex Drake, I ain't never goin' t' let you go!"_

_Alex smiled, "and I love you, Mr Hunt!" She said, safe in the knowledge that there was nothing that could part them._

A look of contentment shone over Alex's face as she woke from her nights sleep. She knew she'd dream of Gene and wasn't disappointed at the resulting images that had invaded her mind. It had almost been like he had been watching over her saving her from misery and disappointment, making it seem as if he really was her guardian angel, always there to look after her even if he couldn't physically be there with her. She just prayed that it wouldn't be long before he found her and then she could truly tell him how she felt about him. She no longer cared that she may have to leave him at some point, she only cared that she told him and if they acted on it then … so be it. Life was too damn short if you looked at it in perspective, having him for a short time was surely better than never having him at all. She was resolved; it would be the first thing she would tell him. Providing of course, that she ever got out of this situation alive.

* * *

Gene strolled back into the office and dropped Layton's case file on Chris' desk. "Christopher, that is the case file from the Prices' legal team on Layton, go through it there may be something interesting in it. Something that will give us some clues. Do we know anything about these boats of his?"

"Err, yes Guv! The two we impounded were 'Lady Di' and 'Prince Charlie', there's four more."

"Ok, Ray get surveillance down to the …"

Ray cut him off, "already covered, Guv'! But nothing happenin' yet."

Gene did a double take. Did he really just hear that his DS had taken the initiative? Still not quite believing it he asked him, "is there anything else I should know?"

"Yes, Guv'!" Ray answered, his smug grin firmly planted on his face, his arms crossed over his chest as he lent back in his chair, "Layton wasn't the only one to be freed by Tim Price, Edward Markham was too."

"Shit," Gene exclaimed, "that up's the game plan a bit!"

"Why?" Chris asked. "Because I shot him in the foot?"

"No, Ms Drew," Gene spat out in exasperation. "This is more than just personal now, this is about losing money. This is about business!"

* * *

Twilight was falling over London when Alex was once again treated to Layton's company and a fish and chip supper. "I can't keep eating this stuff," she exclaimed, "I'll end up the size of a house!"

"Don't worry, Alex. Everything will soon be over. Now," he started, sitting on the chair in the middle of the room, "I need you to tell me a few things about the future."

"Like what?" She said, her feisty nature rising to the surface.

"You've said some strange things to me in the past, Alex. I just want to know what you meant by them."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you!"

Layton got off the chair and kneeled down directly in front of her, shoving her legs out to each side he moved between them. Taking both of her wrists in his left hand he positioned them above her head. He had a knife in his right hand and put that to her throat, "try me!" He breathed out menacingly.

Too frightened to move, Alex conveyed her story to him, he laughed at her but didn't disbelieve her, he was going to get his empire back if it was the last thing he did. "You should've died before, Alex. In the car when the bomb went off. I wonder who I was blackmailing."

"I have absolutely no idea!" Alex stammered.

He let her arms go and grabbed her chin with his now free hand. "Maybe this'll make you think," his mouth sunk down on hers with a force that she couldn't handle, his tongue forced her mouth open and their teeth clashed as he carried on his tirade. She tried to escape but she hadn't the strength, her arms felt like lead as the blood was still trying to drain back into them from being above her head, they were no use. He'd straddled her legs and his weight meant that she couldn't fight back there either. He pulled back, ending the kiss, and looked into her fearful wide eyes, "You taste good … Bolly!" He watched as a loan tear escaped Alex's eye and rolled down her cheek. "Don't know what you're worried about. Gene will soon find you; you'll be together soon enough!"

And with that he was gone, shutting her off from the outside world.

She lay down on her bed and wept. Layton's cruel assault had made her weary and she longed for sleep. She didn't want to eat, his taste was still in her mouth and no matter what she'd done she knew she'd still be able to taste him. But the thing that worried her most wasn't what he'd done or what he was yet capable of, it was what he'd said, he was setting up a trap and she was the honey pot.

She called out to him, "please be careful, Gene. Layton is capable of anything. He wants to destroy you."

* * *

Two undercover officers sat in their unmarked car, shadowed by the derelict factory that towered above them. Watching the boat intently, they recorded their findings and radioed the station. Layton had been spotted going onto the 'Prince Eddie' and within ten minutes he had gone back to his car and driven off. He'd taken a packet resembling a wrapped up supper from a chip shop along with a drinks can onboard. When he left he carried nothing.

The information was relayed to DCI Gene Hunt, who decided to deploy resources to that boat. A shift pattern was set up, Gene wanted to make sure this wasn't a one off, he wanted proof that someone was aboard that boat and Layton was the one keeping them there against their will. "Bear with me, Bolly," he whispered, "I'll find you soon enough!"

It was then that she appeared in his head, all insistent as usual, she began pleading with him. "Please be careful, Gene. Layton is capable of anything. He wants to destroy you."

"Does he?" He mocked, "well, he'll have to get up bloody early to come anywhere close to destroying the Gene Genie!"


	7. Layton does it again!

A/N: Apologies for the fact that I've been continuing to use 2007 but rather than change dates I have continued with what I started with. Thank you for the reviews I'm still getting (must be doing something right), and please keep reading.

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone, yadda yadda.

Chapter 7 – Layton does it again!

The dark blackened brickwork of the 'Queens Head' public house sullenly invited Arthur Layton to walk through its eggshell blue double doors and seek the warmth within. He didn't often frequent such establishments, wine bars were more his thing when he was dressed in his favourite light grey suit, but they had all agreed that this would be the safest place to meet to discuss their plans for the foreseeable future, and in his black jeans, David Bowie t-shirt and Dr Marten's boots, he fitted right in.

He slowly scoured the lounge area for his cohorts, finding them in the furthest corner sitting at one of the alcove tables. Ordering a drink at the bar he continued on his journey to the table taking a seat next to Markham so that he was able to watch the door.

"Did she tell you anything?" Markham asked.

"Noffing of any consequence, Markham;" Layton lied, "not yet anyway. I'll need to … work on her a bit more."

"God, why don't you just jump her bones and have done with it. That's what I'd have done had I had the chance on that damn boat."

"And that's why you're putting cocaine up your nose, eh, Markham? 'Cause you couldn't get a decent bird to pump you one if you tried, you'd need a prossie every time!"

Markham lent back in his seat and folded his arms over his chest, the anger all too evident on his face as he tried to hide his emotion. He knew this wasn't the right time to make an issue out of it, that would come soon enough after he'd added his own take on Layton's plan. Then the bastard would get what was coming to him.

Layton swigged his drink, "So, Lacey, think this is gonna go off later? Or is Hunt goin' to wait 'til tomorra!"

"It'll be tomorra now, Arfa! He wants to get ya red handed, so to speak. 'E'll wait 'til 'e knows that Bolly bird of 'is is on board, like."

"Good, good. So you guys know what ya doin'?" Layton asked the two men, they nodded their agreement. "Right, I'll be off then," he finished his pint, "see you both 'bout 5!"

Markham watched him walk back through the doors and out into the street. He settled back visibly relaxing, "Ian, you are with me on this one, aren't you? You can see how advantageous it would be to get rid of him out of the equation." Ian Lacey nodded his head. "Good, so you know what you're doing?"

"Yep, Eddie, it's all crystal to me!"

"See you tomorrow then," Markham said, before getting up from his seat and making his own way out of the pub.

Ian finished his pint before he too got up and left, knowing that tomorrow was going to be his biggest day to date so far!

* * *

Gene felt good and the look on his face as he peered at himself in the mirror gave him the same result. This afternoon was going to be good; he could feel it in his bones and his ever instinctual gut. This afternoon was the time he was finally going to get Alex back and he was going to tell her how he felt about her, when he eventually got her on her own that was. He'd also decided … he wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer, not this time from her anyway.

He walked into the main office and perched himself on the edge of Alex's desk, feeling more comfortable with the situation than he had done for the last few days, he'd even had a decent nights kip. "Right, ladies, listen up. Thanks to DC Lacey's intelligence we 'ave it on good authority that Layton and Markham are due t' meet up at the boat 'bout 5 pm this evening. Raymondo, Christopher, you're both with me, I want the rest of you down there to back us up, got it?" The room was awash with an array of nodding heads and a chorus of "Yes, Guv'!"

"Good! Let's see if we can bag a couple a bad guys and find my DI in one piece then shall we!" He stood up, put on his black leather driving gloves, squared his shoulders and smoothed down the arms of his black coat. He left the office shouting for Ray and Chris to follow, the length of his open coat and belt flapping around his legs as he strode off to his waiting car.

They arrived at the site without any delay and set themselves up in an abandoned warehouse. Ray looked through his binoculars surveying the scene, Chris watched around their backs making sure they had not been set up. Gene hunted and spied his officers. "You know you two, sometimes I wonder why I ever invited you t' come 'ere with me; but then there's times like this when I realise why I did."

"Bit of philosophy, eh, Guv?" Ray said keeping his eyes on the target.

Gene looked over to him, "No, Ray, 'cause it's at times like these when you know 'oo your friends are." He went back to looking around the site. "You two, 'part from Bolly and Shaz, are the only two people I bloody trust on god's earth. I have a feelin' that things aren't goin' t' go as planned."

"Why, boss?" Chris asked.

"'Cause there's somethin' not quite right, everythin' is too rigid, time constraints, this site, everythin'. We're gonna wait, we'll get one of 'em in custody before we hunt down the other, got it?" Ray and Chris nodded.

Chris reached into his pocket retrieving the radio that was in it, "do you want me to let the other's know?"

"No," Gene shouted, hurling himself over to Chris grabbing the radio from his hand. "No, you div. I think we've got a mole in our crew, last thing we need is 'em knowin' what we're up to!"

"Sorry, Guv'!" Chris went back to his surveillance.

"Guv? Looks like they're here."

Ray passed the binoculars over to Gene, "Aye, this is it then lads. We'll grab one of 'em when they come back off the boat, then we'll grab the other one. Follow me." He gave the binoculars back to Ray, found the route he'd decided upon earlier and took it, Ray and Chris close behind. He'd managed to get them extremely close to the boat and from their position, behind some large packing cases, they were all able to get a good picture of what was going on. Two cars had arrived and the driver's of each got out of them. Both Layton and Markham were in sight but it was too risky dropping them both from where Gene and his boys stood, if they did have a mole or moles then it could turn sour. Taking Layton and Markham separately would give them the element of surprise they needed. At least that was what Gene hoped.

They looked on as the pair seemingly had some argument on the deck of the 'Prince Eddie', then Layton disappeared inside the boat as Markham thrashed back up the gangplank to dry land. "Go lads, let's get Markham first!" The three sprinted down to the quay as Markham tried to get to his car. Chris managed to catch up with him and tackled him to the ground, kneeling on his back as he cuffed him, Markham's screams and shouting muffled by the ground that he had been spread out upon. With one down, Gene asked DC's Lacey and Partridge to take Markham to the police station and book him, they went on their way.

Slowly Gene, Ray and Chris quietly walked the gangplank and once on the boat Gene motioned for Chris to stay on top making sure that Layton would have no escape. He and Ray then proceeded to enter the boats hull and search it. Gene decided to go aft toward the stern sending Ray up to the bow, as boats went there wasn't that many places that someone could hide, but after searching through the rooms Gene couldn't find a single soul.

Every door Ray came upon he opened and searched each room beyond, 'where the hell could Layton or Drake be,' he thought. Reaching the last door he realised it was locked. "Guv," he called out whispering. Realising that Gene was on his way up to him, Ray waited for his boss to get to him.

"What's up, Ray?" Gene asked.

"Door's locked. Shall I?"

"Be my guest!" Ray knew instinctively that it wouldn't take much to get the door open; he positioned his right foot over the lock and booted it, sending the door flying backwards into the seemingly empty room. "Jesus," Ray exclaimed, cupping his hand over his mouth as the stench from within invaded his senses. He took a few steps in, letting his eyes get used to the light. "Guv', look, over there, is that her?"

Gene looked in the direction that Ray was pointing to see the hunched up body of a woman, her clothing was torn and tattered, her face was black and her hair matted to her head from a blood stained wound. Her usually pristine white leather jacket was also covered in her blood, it was definitely Alex. Gene briefly stood transfixed to the spot not knowing what to do, but then his heart took over his head and he moved toward her, kneeling down over her limp body. "Alex," he said, trying to rouse her by stroking her forehead, "Alex?" But nothing, she didn't respond. He felt for a pulse, she had one but it was weak. Bringing her head up to his he gently breathed a kiss over her mouth. "I love you, Alex," he whispered, "please don't leave me!"

In the meantime, Ray had been surveying the room. He may not have liked the woman very much 'but,' he decided, 'no-one deserved to be holed up in a place like this.' Following Gene into the room slightly he stood in the centre looking at the top of the table. "Guv? There's something on this table, like drugs or someat."

Gene looked over his shoulder just as he saw a form come from out of the shadows, a form he could only assume to be Layton. Layton jumped Ray from behind hitting Ray on the head with the grip of his hand gun; Ray fell limp to the floor. "Shit!"

"You could say that Hunt," Layton jeered, cocking his gun and pointing it toward Gene's head, "Now I've got you both right where I want you.

"So what exactly are you gonna do to do both of us?" Gene asked, feeling Alex coming too in his arms, he only hoped that Ray would follow suit. He turned his head around to see Ray slowly coming around as well.

"What I really want to do is kill you both, Alex for knowing too much about me and you for bringing down my empire."

"Layton, if it hadn't been me it'd 'ave been someone else."

"Maybe that's true, but all I really want to do is get you out of the picture, with you gone …"

Gene cut him off dead, "with me gone, what exactly? You'll be able to run London the way you want with as many police in your pocket as you can 'andle. And then what, 'ave Alex to yourself without me about to ward you off!" Gene looked Layton in the eye, "I'm tellin' you know that'll never 'appen, this woman needs help and I'm goin' to get her to it. You got a problem with that, you'll have to shoot me in the back!" And without a second thought Gene had swept Alex up into his arms readying himself to walk out of that room with her and off the boat.

Layton panicked, he'd lost control, he took aim but his legs were taken from under him by a now conscious Ray, he pressed his finger on the trigger and the gun went off.

Alex's eyes shot open at the sound of the firing gun, she sought the face she wanted to see and he smiled at her. She smiled back reaching around his neck with her arms, feeling very comfortable in his. Suddenly she felt herself free falling back to the floor as Gene's body buckled, she didn't understand what was going on. His body fell on top of hers, now a dead weight and she struggled to breathe. She pushed her hands under his chest moving him over slightly so that she could at least sit up. She tried to see what had caused him to fall, nothing. She moved her hands over his back and felt a wet patch soaking his coat; her fingers circled the area feeling for something that would give her an indication of what had happened. Fabric fibres were warm to the touch as she edged her fingers further on. It was then she felt the hole. He'd been shot. She began screaming, "noooooooooooooooooooo!"

Ray soon had Layton restrained, much as Chris had done with Markham earlier, all the while Layton sneering and jibing. It was too much, Ray picked Layton up and hurled him at the wall. Layton hit it with a force that his body couldn't comprehend. He fell to the floor in a heap, unconscious. Ray turned his attention to the now screaming Alex; he rushed over, falling over one of Gene's legs as he went. "Christ alive!" Ray pulled on Gene's shoulder just enough to let Alex escape from underneath him, then he was there with some pieces of sheet scrunching them up and applying them to Gene's wound.

Chris had heard the shot and ran from the deck into the boat, easily finding his way to the commotion. Stunned at what little he could see of the scene before him he found his pocket torch and put it on. He flashed the light around the room, searching it for four people. He stopped when he got to Ray nursing his boss. Ray turned around, "get two ambulances here now, Chris!" He shouted, "and then get that piece o' shit outta here!" Pointing in the direction of the unmoving Layton.

Chris did as he was told, finally ushering Layton from the scene with the help of a colleague. He went back on board to see if there was anything he could do. He looked to Alex first; she was crying and pleading for Gene to stay with her as she held onto his hand tightly. Then he looked to Ray, he still had the fabric wad held fast to Gene's wound, crimson red seeping into it continuously.

Ray looked up at Chris and signalled for him to come over; he whispered that he wanted him to change positions with him so that Ray could get Alex away and seen to. Chris took over as he was told to, changing the wad of material as he did so. Ray stood over Alex, "come on, luv. He'll do better if he knows you've been seen to."

She looked up to him, "I'm not going anywhere, I'm staying with him."

"Drake, you can't. Your leg needs t' be seen to. He won't thank me if that leg don't set straight 'cause I didn't get ya t' 'ospital when I should've."

"I can't leave him," she blubbered. "He needs me!"

Ray sighed, "well, I've asked nicely." Scooping her up was easy, what he hadn't bargained for was the torrent that she pounded him with.

"Ray, what are you doing, let me go. I'm warning you." She spat out, as she kicked and punched him. But for all her efforts, he never let his grip go, he held fast.

He squared up to her still holding her up off the ground, "I'm sorry Alex, but this is just the way it's got to be. 'Ate me if you like, I'm not bothered, but I need t' get you out of here!"

Alex knew it was no good as Ray carried her from the boat, one ambulance crew passing them on the way. She screamed out, she wept and finally she hugged Ray sobbing into his neck as he finally put her down next to her waiting ambulance. As soon as he'd set her down she was being seen to, strapped to the gurney and being taken to the local hospital. The crew had told him where they were taking her and he vowed to get to her as soon as he could, he wanted to see how the Guv' was first, and he knew Alex wouldn't settle if he went back to her with no answers. Finally, the doors were closed and she was being taken to A & E. He turned his attention back to Gene.

As Ray turned to go back to the boat, he could see that they were moving Gene up toward his waiting ambulance. He scooted over, showing his badge and asking questions of the crew. "He's lost a lot of blood but with all your efforts we stand a better chance of him recovering. Time really is of the essence now."

* * *

Ray stood over the sleeping body of his boss in the ICU, a drip was in his arm and various machines were helping him live, his heart monitor beeped steadily. What the hell was he going to tell Alex? And whatever he did tell her would probably send her over the edge, he knew they'd been getting close but not to the extent he'd witnessed on the boat earlier on.

Once more, he mulled over what the doctor told him, the stray bullet from Layton's gun had punctured Gene's lung. Surgery had been able to remove the bullet and they'd been able to make him comfortable. His coma was as a result of emergency services not being able to get to him sooner but they believed that he was in no real danger; it would just be a matter of time waiting for him to come out of his sleep.

Ray sighed; he'd done a lot of that since the events of the afternoon had all gone awry. "Well, s'pose I'd better go do it sooner than later, I'll see you in a bit, Guv'. Just goin' to tell your lady the news."

* * *

Gene Hunt came too, finding himself on a barge, alone. He picked himself up and dusted himself down walking out onto the deck of a pleasure barge. There must have been an odd expression on his face as he walked through the crowd of drinking and dancing party goers as they seemed to be looking at him as if he actually had two heads.

He looked around him, if this was a posh event then most of the women were dressed a little casually, most were in skinny jeans. A waiter passed by with a tray full of champagne, "got any whiskey?" The waiter nodded over to the bar. He found his way through the throng and asked again.

"What kind? We've got scotch, irish, bourbon, rye?" Asked the petite blonde with an accent he couldn't quite fathom. If he'd remembered correctly, from when the wife had been around watching 'The Sullivans', it sounded Australian.

"Scotch."

"Single malt, grain or blended?"

"What? Single Malt."

"Ice?"

"No, as it comes!"

"That'll be £3.00 please,"

"I've ordered a shot of whiskey, luv! Not a bottle!"

"That is for a shot, sir!" Astounded, Gene walked away from the bar and back to the waiter. He took several glasses from the tray and downed them. Making his way to the side of the barge he saw that it sat along the quayside, he made his way on to dry land. He walked up the embankment and sat down on the nearest bench. From his position he noticed a structure on the opposite side of the river that he had never seen before. "What the blazes …?"

A couple stood in front of him, taking in the view, "so that's the eye?" The man said, "it's quite an amazing piece of engineering really." They walked off, leaving his view uninterrupted. "The eye?" He questioned, "where the bloody hell have I landed?"

He heard the call of a newspaper seller, so decided to get himself a copy. Maybe that would give him a clue as to where he had woken up. After paying his 50p, 'rip off' he thought, he retook the seat he had vacated and opened it up. He read the date, 4th March 2007.

"Jesus, she were right. I must be in a coma in 1981. Well, best go find the 2007 Alex, and then maybe I can get back 'ome!"


	8. A few days in 2007: Part 1

A/N: I don't usually include songs in my writings because the one's I think of don't usually fit, but in this case it does perfectly – Billy Joel's 'She's got a way' and it is from 1981 so even better. Hope you enjoy this next instalment. Thanks for your continuing support and lovely reviews.

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone, yadda yadda.

Chapter 8 – A few days in 2007: Part 1

"Isn't that 'im o'er there?" DI Ray Carling suggested over the blare of the siren, as DS Chris Skelton pulled the Silver BMW X5 up to the curb. "Aye, thank god, it is!"

Leaving the blue lights on to ward off unwanted attention from any passing traffic wardens, Chris hopped out of the vehicle and sped over to the hunched up figure that sat on the bench. Tapping Gene on the shoulder, Chris stepped back as Gene hurled himself round to look at the person who had broken his reverie. "Jesus, Chris! You could've giv'n me a heart attack."

"Sorry, sir! I didn't realise you were reading the paper. Erm, we've been lookin' all over the place for ya! Supposed to have had a meeting this mornin', don't you remember?"

"If I'd remembered, don't you think I would've been there?" Gene asked, "and what's with the sir business? Guv' or boss were fine before!"

"Well, now you're Detective Chief Superintendent, it's not really appropriate, sir!" Chris stammered.

"Bollocks!" A confused Gene snapped as he stared at his subordinate, fumbling in his pockets for his warrant card, "detective chief super?" He questioned, finally finding the wallet and opening it. Sure enough, along with his badge, was a new warrant card clearly marked with his new title. Astounded at this first piece of news, he looked back to the officer that stood in front of him. Chris looked a little older than he had in 1981 and was now sporting a dark charcoal suit, a lilac shirt and a black silk tie. His hair was a little shorter with touches of grey but ruffled as if he had gel in it. 'Always knew he were a poof,' Gene thought. "So, shall we go then?"

Chris led the way back to the car opening a back door patiently waiting for his boss to take the back seat. Gene surveyed the … was it a car or a land rover … he wasn't sure but he could get used to it, after all it was a BMW and it evoked luxury with a capital 'L'; it's leather seats and plush interior beckoned. 'Ah, but can it match the power of the mighty Quattro'. To his surprise it did, and that was just pulling away from the curb.

"Alright, sir?" Ray asked, looking at the Gene Genie as if he'd seen a ghost, "been working out or someat?"

"Somethin' like that Ray, and don't you bloody start with the sir bullshit, either!"

Ray turned back and looked at Chris, his eyebrows arched up as high as they could get. Chris shrugged his shoulders in answer. Ray, Gene noticed, had swapped his leather jacket and polo neck for a formal suit as well. His was navy with a light blue shirt and a navy tie. His perm had gone in favour of a cropped style. "Where's your bloody tash gone?" Gene questioned.

Ray looked back at Gene and was about to answer when a call came over the radio. "393 Hotel Tango to Inspector Carling."

"Inspector Carlin' here, what's up?"

"The Super's just wanting to know when you're gonna get to the meeting you were meant to be at at 10.00 am!"

"We're on our way back now!"

"Is DS Skelton with you?"

"Yeah, I'm here!"

"Can you call your wife when you've got a mo? Sounded quite urgent"

'Wife?' Gene thought, 'not a poof after all then.'

"Roger that! Out!" Chris called out to something that protruded from the dashboard, "'ome!" The thing started dialling, it was obviously a phone.

Gene was stunned, "who the bloody 'ell promoted you pair a nancies?"

Ray and Chris looked at each other once more, totally bemused by Gene's question. "You did," they replied in unison, turning their attention back to the road in front of them.

"Christ, I must a been on someat good!"

The phone on the dash suddenly answered, "'Ello, darlin'"

"Shaz, everythin' ok?"

"Yeah, fine. The school 'phoned about Jon, he's not been doin' his coursework. I've torn 'im off a strip and I've told him you'll be doing the same when you get 'ome."

"Ok, no probs! I'll see you when I get 'ome then."

"Yeah, love you babe!"

"Love you too!"

'And then on second thoughts!' Gene looked out of the window as 2007 London passed him by, so much glass and steel. He couldn't quite take it all in; it was beautiful, he couldn't deny that but it must have come with such a price tag attached, 'especially at £3.00 a shot for whiskey!' So this was Alex's world, and Sam's. He'd have to have a look around it if he had time, sample some of the culture, listen to some of the music, maybe then he'd be able to relate to her better. But for the time being … "How many kids you got then, Chris?"

"Err, just the two, sir … boss!"

"And you Ray, get married did ya?"

"Yeah, four year ago, Guv'. You were me best man!"

"Right," he said, looking to the two guys in front, "selective amnesia, you get that when you get older!" He decided to look at the paper, 'bought the damn thing after all', unfolding it he saw a familiar face peering at him form the bottom half of the page. Layton.

'_Cop still in coma … after being shot by this man,'_ the headline read. _'Police have finally released a name and pictures of the man they believe shot DI Alex Drake on the morning of her daughter's birthday approximately 4 months ago. She was found when colleagues carried out a GPS search on her mobile phone hoping that the two would still be together. They found her in a comatose state on an old barge moored at Greenwich, a gunshot wound in her head. Her family and friends are still hoping for a full recovery but nothing is certain at present. She was scheduled to have an operation to remove the bullet that is lodged inside her brain but after further investigation it was decided that the procedure would be too intrusive and the surgeons said they couldn't take the risk. Police are asking for anyone with any information about Arthur Layton to ring their local police station or crime stoppers on 0800 555 111. Please do not approach him, he is considered to be armed and dangerous.'_

"Still haven't caught the bastard then?" Gene said, waving the paper in front of him.

"No, that's why we're havin' this meeting, Guv'."

"Oh, sorry I'm late then!" Gene went back to his paper looking at the picture of Layton, 'I'm gonna get you, you bastard. It wasn't enough to shoot me in the back; you had to shoot my Alex in the 'ead!'

* * *

The meeting had proved fruitless, not to mention boring. However, as DI Drake's case was so important, everyone of any significance was at the meeting and he had had the pleasure of meeting the uniformed Superintendent Lacey. 'Funny how shit rises,' he thought as he took his hand and shook it emphatically. He'd spoken to Ray after the meeting, they'd discussed what their guts were telling them and both believed they were right. Lacey had something to do with the whole sorry mess, they were both sure of that but could they use him to smoke out Layton. Gene reminded Ray of Markham and Ray said he'd get someone onto it.

"So, I know this may sound like a stupid question but … which is my car?"

"The red Audi Quattro, of course!" Ray grinned as they crossed the car park. Seeing that Gene was struggling with the information he had given him Ray pointed at the sleek red Audi TT. Gene hadn't been expecting what he was now being faced with, 'I could get to like 2007!' But how did he open the damn thing? Ray took the keys from out of Gene's hand and opened the car, showing him that he had to press the button on the key to unlock and lock it. "Take it I don't have a wife then?"

"No, Guv'. Once bitten … an' all that!"

"And where do I live exactly?"

"Same place you've always lived. Pennington Villas." Good, at least that was one thing that hadn't changed. "Just remember, there are a few dead ends and one way streets around your place now though!"

"Right, well, ok." He sat in the car and looked at his face in the mirror. Everything was basically the same apart from his hair, it was a lot shorter and spiky. He shrugged, he could live with it for a few days. "Ray, could you tell me in which hospital Bol … DI Drake is in?"

"She's at the University College Hospital in the Critical Care Unit"

"Thanks, and could you do me a favour, she was working on a case before her accident, on DCI Sam Tyler, could you get that file to me. Oh, and hers as well!"

"No probs, Guv'. Do you want me t' bring 'em over later, might be better than leaving 'em in your office."

"Yes, Ray, see you later."

"Bye!" Gene watched as Ray walked back into CID before starting the car and driving off. He decided to go and get changed out of the black pinstriped suit he was wearing, considering the stripe was pink, along with the grey shirt and pink tie. At least his shoes were sensible, a very comfortable, expensive pair of black brogues. He quickly searched the car for any sign of a pair of driving gloves, and found none. He sighed, how was he supposed to corner this baby without a pair of leather gloves to hold onto the wheel. After pulling away from the station a voice spoke to him from the dashboard, 'you are driving at 45 miles per hour in a 30 limit'. 'Great, a talking car!' He bashed the dashboard, "shut up!"

He walked into the familiar surroundings of his flat and went to the bedroom, apart from the décor nothing much had changed. He walked over to the wardrobe and opened it up; a huge array of clothing greeted him, why did he need so much. Pulling out a pair of blue jeans, "who the 'ell put 'em in there?" And a thin light green v-necked pullover he quickly got changed but not before he realised the underwear he had on, Alex would've definitely approved. "So these must be boxer briefs, bit like 'em trunks I had in 1973 only black! Fit well though!" And there was no vest in sight either.

He freshened up; slapping on a bit of cologne he'd found in his bathroom cabinet and stepped back out into the hall. Underneath his coat rack was an array of boots and shoes. Spying some casual walking type shoes he slipped them on, before grabbing a black long line leather jacket. After putting that on too, he returned to his discarded suit, rifling through the pockets deciding what to take with him. Apart from his warrant card and keys, there was what appeared to be 'one of 'em mobile phones', a wallet with some weird looking twenty's in it and some plastic cards that looked like credit cards, and a selection of change. He took everything, who'd know what he'd need in 2007. He now felt ready to face Alex.

* * *

After showing his warrant card to the nurse on reception he was allowed to see her. The nurse had given him directions to her room but as he stood at the door he was apprehensive, was he going to be able to handle what he saw. He'd been told that she hadn't had any visitors yet that day but she normally had her daughter and a friend visit about 5 pm, obviously that was another thing that had changed, visitors being allowed to see patients at any time of day or night.

Drawing up his courage he stepped through the door. In the centre of the wall opposite stood the bed that DI Alex Drake was occupying. He walked around it and stood near her head looking down at her uncoloured features, poker straight hair and a dressing attached to her forehead. Machines were keeping her alive; a ventilator plunged up and down breathing for her whilst the heart monitor beeped steadily along to her beat. A drip had been fed into her arm. For what seemed like a few minutes but could've been hours, Gene stood looking at her not knowing what to do or say.

Finally he decided to talk to her; he made himself comfortable in the chair next to the bed and took hold of her hand. "Well, Bols, you've been leading me a merry dance, I've been through 'ell and 'igh water for you, you've really 'ad me by the short an' curleys, for a while now! Not that I minded, I knew you were the one for me since 'at first day I met you. Mind you, you were in a skimpy red dress and black lacey stockings the day you arrived in 1981. You fainted, remember? You said my name and fainted, hah! I think my reputation really did proceed me that day." He stroked the back of her hand gently smiling at the memory. "Where's all the hair gone, then Bols, no more perm, probably not the fashion though now, not like then. I like it straight, suits ya!" He dropped her hand to quickly brush some of it away from her face, "so soft, always was."

He fell silent again, unsure of whether to carry on or not, not noticing that he now had company. "The doctors tell us that we should keep talking to her, let her know that she's loved." Gene's face turned to the voice, before him stood a young girl, he realised it must be Molly. She was the image of her mum apart from the eyes, Molly's were blue. Gene got up from his seat silently thanking god that she hadn't come in seconds earlier when he'd had hold of her mother's hand, he wasn't sure how he could've explained that. He made his way across the room and stuck out his hand, "Hello, Molly? I presume that I'm addressing the beautiful daughter of Ms Drake?"

She took his hand and shook it once. "Yes, I'm Molly, who are you?" Gene was about to tell her when Evan walked into the room. 'He hadn't changed much,' Gene thought, 'a bit more grey but that was all really'.

"Gene Hunt, it can't be, as I live and breathe, I don't believe it." Evan extended his hand to Gene, and shook it heartily when Gene responded. "From where have you appeared?"

"Oh, from here and there. I got here as soon as I'd heard the news. How are you, Evan?"

"Oh you know, not bad. Seems like this time I'm really going to lose her. Such a pity, she had such spirit!"

'I know,' Gene thought watching Molly go to her mum. "How's Molly doing?"

Evan looked at him quizzically briefly before turning to his normal solicitor's expression. "She's ok, bearing up. Missing her mum madly, of course. And if the worst happens, well, she'll have to live with her father and his girlfriend."

"That doesn't sound so good, couldn't you look after her. You did such a good job … I mean, her mum seems to have turned out well."

"Unfortunately, I'm only her godfather. Her father will take precedence, I'm afraid. However, it's good to see you, I think it will help, even though you only briefly knew her I think she still remembers the kind man that shielded her from her parents death and looked after her until we were all safely back in the police station. The Gene Genie here to help her. I trust you'll come and see her again?"

'You try stopping me! But she doesn't remember me, she told me she didn't. She was sorry she didn't.' "Of course, I'll go now though, don't want to intrude on family time."

"You don't have to," he heard Molly cry.

"Molly, I should imagine DCI Hunt is very busy."

"DCI? Did you work with mum?"

"A few year ago," it wasn't a complete lie, "and actually its Chief Superintendent now!"

"Oh, sorry," Gene waved to Evan signalling it wasn't a problem. "Look, after our visit tomorrow why don't you join Molly and I for something to eat, Italian or something."

"Ok, Evan, that would be good. Meet you both 'ere 'bout 5 pm tomorrow then?" Evan nodded. "Right, fine, bye for now, then!" Gene walked from the room and toward the hospital exit.

Molly looked to Evan before continuing her conversation with her mum. "I like him!"

"Who, Molly?" Evan asked.

She turned back to Evan to answer him. "Mr Hunt, I like him!" Evan smiled and nodded his agreement.

* * *

Settling down in what he assumed to be his favourite leather armchair, Gene poured himself a shot of whisky and sat back with the first file. It was Sam's. "You were right Alex," he said when he'd finished scouring the information within; "there could've been a book outta this." He laughed setting the file on the coffee table and picking up hers.

He'd only wanted it to get some background info on her to taunt her with when he eventually got back to 1981, but what he found out made him much more aware of the smart, courageous, beautiful single mother he had most definitely fallen in love with. On the arm of the chair he found a remote control, for what he didn't know, so he pressed what he assumed to be the on button. The CD player that sat across from him sprang into life, the opening chords to a tune he knew very well suddenly invading his senses. He'd listened to it the night before he'd been shot, the night before he'd been sure he'd get to see Alex again and profess his undying love to. Mind you, that had been on a piece of vinyl with scratches and jumps, the sound of this was far more superior.

_She's got a way about her_

_I don't know what it is_

_But I know that I can't live without her_

_She's got a way of pleasin'_

_I don't know what it is_

_But there doesn't have to be a reason anyway_

_  
She's got a smile that heals me_

_I don't know why it is_

_But I have to laugh when she reveals me_

_She's got a way of talkin'_

_I don't know why it is_

_But it lifts me up when we are walkin' anywhere_

_  
She comes to me when I'm feelin' down_

_Inspires me without a sound_

_She touches me and I get turned around_

_She's got a way of showin'_

_How I make her feel_

_And I find the strength to keep on goin'_

_  
She's got a light around her_

_And ev'rywhere she goes_

_A million dreams of love surround her ev'rywhere …_

He relaxed, sipping his whisky, as Billy Joel's dulcet tones washed over his soul revealing his worst fears. Even if he did manage to get back to 1981, he realised he was probably going to get his heart broken. Forever.


	9. Meanwhile … back in 1981! : Part 1

A/N: Thank you all again for your lovely reviews, hope you all like this next bit.

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone, yadda yadda.

Chapter 9 – Meanwhile … back in 1981! : Part 1

After speaking to several members of staff, DS Ray Carling was able to determine that DI Drake, after a spell in both A & E and the fracture clinic, had been taken to a ward for overnight observation. At least both Gene and Alex were in the same hospital so he would be able to swiftly navigate the corridors and floors between both parties.

A pretty petite blonde staff nurse greeted him as he walked onto the ward, pointing Drake out to him. He thanked her and sidled over, taking note of Alex's appearance, the usual bouncy perm now lay flat against her head, her rosy complexion gone being replaced by a pallid forlorn outlook. She'd noticed him on his journey over to her bed and quickly looked up giving him an even quicker smile, replacing it again with a demeanour that was both lost and sad.

He decided to keep it short and sweet, 'for the best'. "'Ello."

She looked up at him again; he was stood at the end of the bed looking her over. "Hi, Ray. How is he?"

Her question hit him like a ten ton truck; he'd expected she'd ask but not as fast as this. "Ne'er you mind 'ow 'e is at the minute. 'Ow are you?" He asked sternly.

"Fine, as well as can be expected. Few cuts and grazes, a couple of stitches in my head and my leg will be fine. They're just making sure I don't get concussion before letting me go home tomorrow." She smiled again, and then she forcefully asked once more. "How is he, Ray?"

He sighed, pursed his lips and shrugged before he began. "Gene's got a punctured lung." He closely watched her reaction to his news realising tears were creeping their way out from the corner of her eyes. "Sounds like it were a good thing I got Layton off balance when I did, could've been shot in 'is 'ead or 'is 'eart! That's if you could find one!" He smiled trying to make a joke of it.

She smiled again, whispering "oh, believe me, Ray. He's got one hell of a heart."

Ray nodded, "Aye, I know, luv!"

"What's the verdict then?"

"'E'll be fine. Doctors removed the slug, patched 'im up and 'e's comfortable. They say it's just a matter of time before 'e comes out of 'is coma."

Alex's head shot up and stared directly at Ray, "coma?" she squealed.

Ray couldn't help but look around him to make sure she hadn't woken or upset anyone else; he got a stern look from the nurse and smiled back. Taking the seat that sat next to her bed he tried to console the now weeping Alex. "Drake … Alex, 'e's in a coma because 'e lost so much blood, 'e's fine. 'E'll be back wit' us all in no time. They've told me that."

Unexpectedly, to both of them, Ray took hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze. Her dreary eyes and distressed expression made their way back to his face. "God, I'm so fed up of crying, that's all I've done for the last bloody week. I need something good to come of all this."

"It will, Alex, you'll see. I think we both know how strong Gene is an' I don't think the doctor would lie to me. He'd know better than 'at. Anyway, we've both gotta be 'ere for 'im when 'e wakes up, like. Both gotta be strong. Don't we, eh?" He encouraged her, giving her hand another friendly squeeze.

"I suppose, do you think they'll let me see him tomorrow?"

"Well, knowing you as I do, I'd say 'ey ain't got much chance stoppin' you." She giggled, 'thank god,' he thought. He laughed along.

"No. I suppose not. Mind you, I'm going to need some clothes bringing in, can't exactly walk in there like his can I."

"Ooh, I dunno! Probably bring him 'round quicker 'e knows your stood there in nothing but your nightie and a leg cast!" She punched him playfully, Ray rubbed his 'injured' arm with mock suffering, and Alex giggled again. "I'll get Shaz to bring you someat in."

"Thanks Ray, but would you do it. I mean, I know this might seem really forward, but I'd really like to chat to someone, about things, and well, you've known Gene the longest, he trusts you."

"Alex, you an' me, we don't really see eye t' eye do we?" He spluttered, flabbergasted that she should want to cry on his shoulder. He certainly wasn't very good at that kind of thing and with someone he didn't particularly like …

"No, I realise that," she answered, "it's just that … it doesn't matter. Just tell Shaz to bring in something comfortable." She closed herself off again from him.

If, unknowingly, Alex wanted Ray's attention, she'd certainly got it now. "Wait a minute, I've known Gene for a long time, we've worked together for years, been friends most 'at time too, and too be honest this is the first time 'e's ne'er come t' me. I'm not gonna deny it, I were jealous of the time 'e were spending wit' you and I knew there were somethin' goin' on inside that 'ead of 'is when I witnessed the first bloody argument you two 'ad. And … you an' me, well I didn't like the way you went 'round that business with Gil but you 'ad your reasons, I see 'at. An' busting me nose. But, I'd ne'er forgive meself if our arguin' caused a further rift. No, you asked me to do it an' I will." Ray offered Alex his hand. "Truce?"

Alex, still a little confused from Ray's tirade, took the proffered hand and they shook on it. "Truce!" She smiled. "Come here?" She asked of him. Ray got up from his seat and stood over her, she reached up to him and he realised that she wanted a hug; he could do that, the smallest of gestures. He let her hold onto him for as long as she needed. "Thank you, for everything." She whispered, laying a kiss on his cheek as they finally broke apart.

Ray hesitated, "my pleasure! Now get some rest," he ordered, "I'll be back in t' morning." He turned on his heel and strode from the ward; Alex couldn't help but snigger at his speedy departure.

Replaying those few moments he'd spent with Alex, he came to realise that she wasn't just some toffee nosed, stuck up, public school girl, tart that wanted nothing more than to take the lot of them down. She was just trying to cope with things that she wasn't necessarily appreciative of, having been stuck in an office full of beer swigging, football watching, dart throwing men from the north. She was used to poncy southerners. But somewhere along the way things had most definitely changed, lines drawn had been smudged. For all their arguing, the Manc Lion had chosen his lioness. Alex had caught the Guv's eye and in turn she had softened to his disguised advances and thoughtfulness. And if the Guv liked her then was there really any need for him not to as well.

He stood over Gene's bed. "Right, I'm off now Guv', I'll see you in t' morning." Just as he was about to turn away he decided to say something he never thought he'd hear himself say. "Eh, she's not a bad one after all, I can see the attraction. Might be a bit mouthy at times, don't know when t' keep quiet, but a good sort none the less. Don't worry, Guv', I'll look after 'er 'til you're alright to do that on your own." He turned away again and then realised something, "I'll not look after 'er too well though, Guv', eh!" He called over his shoulder before finally departing, a smile playing on his lips.

* * *

After having the best night's sleep she'd had in ages, 'apart from that dream' she thought mischievously, she awoke to someone gently stroking her hand and pushing her hair back from around her face. Or so she'd thought. "I must have dreamt that as well," she said to herself sitting up in her bed trying to ascertain what had happened. She lent back, they were all right, Evan, Caroline, Ray, Gene, she did think too much. She closed her eyes once more deciding that her best pleasure at that moment was to think of Gene, memories pounding her brain, most of them when they were in tight spots or very very drunk together. Always together, she and her knight, her Manc lion.

_Images of her in a hospital bed invaded her mind, hooked up to monitors and all manner of machines keeping her alive. She could feel the bullet in her head. Blissfully she became aware that she wasn't on her own, as a presence came and sat on the chair next to her bed. Not immediately recognising the man dressed in jeans and a pullover that took her hand, she knew instantly when he spoke, his broad Manc accent giving him away. "Well, Bols, you've been leading me a merry dance, I've been through 'ell and 'igh water for you, you've really 'ad me by the short an' curleys, for a while now!" He chuckled, "not that I minded, I knew you were the one for me since 'at first day I met you. Mind you, you were in a skimpy red dress and black lacey stockings the day you arrived in 1981. You fainted, remember? You said my name and fainted, hah! I think my reputation really did proceed me that day." He stroked the back of her hand gently smiling at the memory. "Where's all the hair gone, then Bols, no more perm, probably not the fashion though now, not like then. I like it straight, suits ya!" He dropped her hand to quickly brush some of it away from her face, "so soft, always was."_

Coming too, she sat up rigid. Her heart was beating so fast it was as if she'd run a 100 metre sprint. Her head thudded and her mouth was dry. She brought her left hand up to her face, stroking the back of it, where Gene had touched her, over her right cheek. Her nose detected a smell and she breathed in a waft of the fragrance from her hand, 'Hugo Man', if she wasn't mistaken, her ex-husband used to wear it only it'd never smelt that good on him.

As soon as Ray had entered the ward, he'd spied his DI acting strangely, and as he walked over to the bed he noted that she was stroking her cheek with the back of her hand and sniffing it. 'Women weren't half strange!'

She stopped abruptly as soon as she'd noticed he was stood at the end of her bad watching her. "Just feels good to be clean," she explained.

'Oh yeah!' Ray thought, a bemused grin appearing. He placed a carrier bag on the foot of her bed. "For when you get discharged," he said, motioning to the bag. "Shaz helped me, 'cause I'm useless with things like this t' be 'onest. Some leggings and a big jumper. Shoes too. Had to think of that cast didn't we!"

"Thanks, Ray."

"Did you sleep ok?"

"Yeah, not bad actually. Be glad to get off this ward though, I hate hospitals!"

"Mmm, so, will you be seeing the boss straight away?"

"I want to! Why?"

"'Cause, I've promised the Guv' I'll look after you, which means makin' sure you get 'ome alright, makin' sure you're safe, that kind a thing!"

"You've promised Gene?"

"After I left you I went t' see him! Look I'll leave you to it, just give us a ring when you're ready, ok?"

"Thanks Ray, I'll speak to you soon. Bye!"

It wasn't long before she'd been discharged and she was able to see Gene. She'd been directed up to the ICU and with a flash of her warrant card she was shown into the small basic room that Gene was in. "So this must be what I look like then, in 2007, all wired up and looking vulnerable. Not that it's much better here, seeing as I've got a bloody cast on my leg. Oh God. This is all my fault," she cried out, taking his hand in her own and putting it up to her face and kissing it as she took as seat in the obligatory chair. "If I hadn't been shot in the bloody first place, none of this would be happening, I would be with my daughter and you would be living your life." Calming herself she carried on. "But then I'd have never come here, and I'd have never met you. And that, Mr Hunt, would be a very great tragedy." Her hand instinctively went to his face, stroking his cheek.

"I've never been very good with relationships, probably never having a full and happy relationship with my parents didn't help, but any that I've had have never worked for one reason or another. I've always tried to find things in them that didn't exist. You'll find out that in 2007 it's very different, the way the sexes are meant to act and react to one another, it's very confusing sometimes. No one really knows what to do or say for the best, everyone is so PC afraid that the wrong thing said will land them in jail. We're still allowed to have freedom of speech, just the right kind of speech.

"God, I'm prattling on again about stuff that doesn't matter, I definitely do think too much. I suppose what I'm trying to say is, you've made me feel alive. You may have neanderthal tendencies but you're still a gentleman, always making sure that I'm alright, looking after me in your own sweet way, saving me from myself as well as others. I never realised that such a male domineering factor could be such an attraction, your caveman capers actually turn my knees to jelly. I have always been so independent, standing on my own two feet, looking out for myself and my daughter. But here in 1981 I have you and I never have to rely on my own instincts because I know you'll always be there looking out for me.

"I wish that I could say that everything was going to be ok but I can't, you'll be fine, the doctors are hopeful that you'll be out of this coma soon enough, whilst I'm still strapped to a bed in 2007. I don't even know how long I've already been there. Will I return home or will I stay here? Mind you, this now feels like home to me, I prefer it here with you. If you can bring me any information back then I would be grateful, I think you can hear me. I heard you, telling me you liked my hair being straight. I saw you, wearing jeans and a green pullover, your hairs shorter too, I like that. But the most surprising thing was that I not only felt you caressing my hand and brushing my hair out of my face, but I could smell you too, Hugo Boss, you smelt wonderful.

"Short of actually having you here in my arms, I'll have to do with my dreams, for now anyway. I'm staying here, by the way. I know Ray said he'd look after me and take me home when I was ready and I do hate hospitals, but I'm not going anywhere until you damn well wake up out of this coma, alright." She smiled, "Besides, this is where I feel safest, next to you." Never letting go of his hand she got up from the chair and, leaning on the edge of his bed, she bent over his sleeping form. She kissed his forehead before shifting over toward his ear. "Come home soon, I miss you … very much. I love you, my Manc lion and my ever attentive pussy cat."

She settled back, another thought coming into her head. "One more thing, whilst you're there, in 2007, there's a song I want you to listen to. Get someone to help you find it, but please find it. I have it playing in my head at the moment as it seems to sum us up, especially the first verse. It's 'When Tomorrow Comes' by the Eurythmics. I'm not going to sing to you, my voice is hideous, mind you it might be just what's needed to get you to wake up and tell me to 'shut it'!"


	10. A few days in 2007: Part 2

A/N: Not much more to go now, so hope you'll stick with me. Thank you for your patience. Please read and review.

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone, yadda yadda.

Chapter 10 – A few days in 2007: Part 2

As Gene Hunt came to, he realised that a tune was playing. He hadn't got a bloody clue what it was but it was coming form the mobile phone he'd left on his coffee table the night before. Stiff from his nights sleep in his armchair he lent over and picked up the phone. 'Ray' flashed on the screen with 'accept' and 'reject' over two of the buttons. He pressed what he hoped was accept and held the device to his ear. "'Ello? Ray?"

"Yes, Guv', just to let you know, I've been doin' a bit of diggin'. Markham is dead. Died of a suspected drugs overdose two year ago, well that's what the coroner's report says anyway. But I'm not so sure. The amount of coke 'e 'ad in 'is body was, quite frankly, enough to sink a battleship!"

Gene began thinking, 'who could have got t' the coroner'. "'Oo was the coroner?"

"Gregory Pullen!"

Christ that old dog was still going. And for the right amount of money he could be bought. "Ahh, Straight Greg, eh. Maybe 'e needs to be sat on, Ray, see if he squeals. If you 'ave no joy at first, tell him I've got a stack of photo's to show his wife. She's still alive is she?"

"Yes, Guv'!"

"Good, I've got pictures of 'im and a young chorister, named Stuart."

"Right, Guv', what 'bout Lacey and Layton!"

"See what Greg spills, may get someat else to help us with 'em other two bastards!"

"Are you gonna be in this morning?"

"'Course! Ain't I always?"

"Erm, no! Not normally, don't seem as necessary now seeing as your job is more retirement orientated."

"What do you mean? They've promoted me up out of the way to see when I'll go?"

"Someat like that! Most the time you're busy with makin' the force look good!"

"Me? The Manc Lion who gets scum off the streets with the 'elp of gut instinct and the bruise free groin slap! Does that involve me goin' on television by any chance?"

"Sometimes!"

"Oh Jesus!" Gene was sat in his chair with his head between his legs making sure he didn't pass out.

"Guv'? Guv', you alright?"

He straightened up, hoping that the colour had returned to his face. "Yes, Ray, I'm fine. Hope I get back to reality soon for me own sake. In that case then, shall we meet for lunch?"

"Ok, Guv', there's this place around the corner from CID, Starbucks it's called. Meet 'bout 12 pm?"

"Yeah, ok. Bye Ray." He sat back in the chair, if this was meant to be 'retirement' he may as well enjoy it. His eyes closed briefly enjoying the peace, and then he felt his right hand move and a kiss planted firmly upon it. His eyes were wide again searching the close vicinity but there was no one there. What else was 2007 going to throw at him that he wasn't used to? Seeing as his mind was now playing tricks on him as well, he supposed anything could happen. He settled back relaxing into the squashy cushions.

_He became aware of himself lying in a bed with a drip sticking out of his arm and various machines around his bed, much as Alex was in 2007, but where was he? 1981? He looked around finally allowing his gaze to rest on Alex as she came and sat down next to him, a plaster cast on her leg. She began to speak. "So this must be what I look like then, in 2007, all wired up and looking vulnerable. Not that it's much better here, seeing as I've got a bloody cast on my leg. Oh God. This is all my fault," he felt his hand being moved upwards, she took it toward her mouth and kissed it. "If I hadn't been shot in the bloody first place, none of this would be happening, I would be with my daughter and you would be living your life. But then I'd have never come here, and I'd have never met you. And that, Mr Hunt, would be a very great tragedy." Her hand moved to his face gently stroking his cheek, he thought he'd never felt anything so good in all of his life._

"_I've never been very good with relationships, probably never having a full and happy relationship with my parents didn't help, but any that I've had have never worked for one reason or another. I've always tried to find things in them that didn't exist. You'll find out that in 2007 it's very different, the way the sexes are meant to act and react to one another, it's very confusing sometimes. No one really knows what to do or say for the best, everyone is so PC afraid that the wrong thing said will land them in jail. We're still allowed to have freedom of speech, just the right kind of speech._

"_God, I'm prattling on again about stuff that doesn't matter, I definitely do think too much. I suppose what I'm trying to say is, you've made me feel alive. You may have neanderthal tendencies but you're still a gentleman, always making sure that I'm alright, looking after me in your own sweet way, saving me from myself as well as others. I never realised that such a male domineering factor could be such an attraction, your caveman capers actually turn my knees to jelly. I have always been so independent, standing on my own two feet, looking out for myself and my daughter. But here in 1981 I have you and I never have to rely on my own instincts because I know you'll always be there looking out for me._

"_I wish that I could say that everything was going to be ok but I can't, you'll be fine, the doctors are hopeful that you'll be out of this coma soon enough, whilst I'm still strapped to a bed in 2007. I don't even know how long I've already been there. Will I return home or will I stay here? Mind you, this now feels like home to me, I prefer it here with you. If you can bring me any information back then I would be grateful, I think you can hear me. I heard you, telling me you liked my hair being straight. I saw you, wearing jeans and a green pullover, your hairs shorter too, I like that. But the most surprising thing was that I not only felt you caressing my hand and brushing my hair out of my face, but I could smell you too, Hugo Boss, you smelt wonderful._

"_Short of actually having you here in my arms, I'll have to do with my dreams, for now anyway. I'm staying here, by the way. I know Ray said he'd look after me and take me home when I was ready and I do hate hospitals, but I'm not going anywhere until you damn well wake up out of this coma, alright." He watched her as she smiled, "Besides, this is where I feel safest, next to you." He continued to watch her as she struggled up from her seat to the edge of the bed, her warm small hand never letting his cold large one go. She lent over him and kissed his forehead before shifting over toward his ear. "Come home soon, I miss you … very much. I love you, my Manc lion and my ever attentive pussy cat."_

_She settled back a smile playing on her face. "One more thing, whilst you're there, in 2007, there's a song I want you to listen to. Get someone to help you find it, but please find it. I have it playing in my head at the moment as it seems to sum us up, especially the first verse. It's 'When Tomorrow Comes' by the Eurythmics. I'm not going to sing to you, my voice is hideous, mind you it might be just what's needed to get you to wake up and tell me to 'shut it'!"_

For a moment, he just sat there not sure of what had happened, had he really just seen her talk to him in 1981 or was it just some crazy vision. He looked at his right hand, the one that she'd never let go. He put it to his face; it was warm to the touch. He tried the other, it was cool. A scent wafted to his nostrils, he immediately sniffed the skin of his hand, an interesting mixture of floral tones made him realise that that was Alex's scent, the one she'd used since she'd arrived in 1981. "How can this be?" He asked, not quite understanding it but putting his trust in it, after all she'd told him things he'd said to the 2007 sleeping Alex, not the 1981 very awake Alex. And then there was the fact that she'd obviously experienced something similar to him as she was able to describe what he was wearing and the length of his hair. "Perhaps there's a connection here, me, Alex, Layton, Lacey … Sam. After all, it started with 'im!"

He began looking through Sam's notes again; nothing struck him as being odd, apart for his father. "Mine was an abusive alcoholic, Sam's was a bastard and Alex's was a murderer. If that's the commonality, the fact that we've all 'ad father's that didn't love us then maybe that's what we have to change, but they both tried didn't they and couldn't stop the inevitable happenin', so it can't be that!"

He pondered ideas, but couldn't come up with anything conclusive. "Maybe it's just the simple fact that I'm the Gene Genie and I'm the only one that can nail these bastards for Alex."

Looking at the clock he realised that it was time for him to leave to meet Ray. "Don't worry, Alex. I'll be 'ome soon, as soon as I work this all out."

* * *

When Gene met Ray for his meeting at Starbucks Gene had started by asking a bemused Ray, "thought that'd be a poncy name for a wine bar but drinking coffee at lunchtime?" Apparently they had always met there for lunch since the Guv' had had to calm down on his drinking habits under doctor's orders. "This is under duress mind!" He'd spat out. Ray just shook his head.

They'd discussed the leaning on of Straight Greg, he'd squealed as soon as Ray had told him about the pictures. Lacey had been the one to buy him off. That made sense if their assumption about Lacey was correct. "Was there anything in Markham's file about drugs?"

"Yes, Guv'. He was quite a big dealer when he died. Every time we managed to get close t' 'im all avenues were shut down. Obviously, 'e outlived 'is usefulness, wound up dead.

"Mmm, so is Lacey the mole? Or is there someone else? Could we be missin' someat 'cause he's back in uniform. When did that 'appen exactly?"

"Ooh, '94 if I remember rightly," Ray suggested, "'at's when Markham rose to a higher level in dealin', and 'e stopped bein' watched. Now't anybody could do!"

"So Markham had Lacey in 'is pocket, why did 'e end up dead? Unless …"

"Unless?"

"Ray, I assume by some of the expressions I've seen cross your face over the past 24 hours or so and some of the thin's you've said to me that you think I'm different in some way?"

"Well, err, yes, Guv', to be honest you look a lot younger than you did when I saw you a few day ago. Then there's been some thin's you've said."

"Right, ok. Ray, do you remember a conversation we 'ad in 1981, where I told you that there were thin's I would tell you that you would need t' take on trust?"

"Err, yeah, vaguely. Someat to do wit' when you got shot by Layton, weren't it?"

"That's right! Well, DI Drake was put in a coma by a bullet from Layton's gun as we're all very much aware." Ray nodded, "she told me that Layton was blackmailin' someone, he was usin' her phone to call this someone."

"When di' she tell you that?"

"Erm, she came to me a couple of days before the shootin'!" He lied, trying to sound convincing.

"But Guv', she wouldn't known that 'til the shootin'!" Ray surmised, knowing something was definitely wrong with Gene's explanation.

'OK,' Gene thought, 'trust time'. "Ray, ok, she didn't tell me then. She told me in 1981."

"Come on, Guv', pull the other one!"

"Ray, I'm serious, in 1981 I am in a coma. That coma has sent me 'ere to obviously do someat 'bout Layton shooting Alex. If I can sort this out then maybe, just maybe I can get back to my life and you can 'ave your sorry excuse for a retired boss back. I'm gonna 'ave to do someat 'bout that when I get back. No one's gonna promote me up out t' way."

"So, how come she's in 1981?"

"I don't know but it seems that the same 'appened to Sam, here," he handed Sam's file back to Ray, "have you looked at this?" Ray shook his head, "look at it, you won't believe some of t' stuff that's in it! It'll back up what I've told you! Now, what to do 'bout Lacey and Layton?"

* * *

Gene stood outside Lacey's office and knocked. A gruff "come in!" was heard so he entered the room and took the seat opposite his rival. "Detective Chief Superintendent Hunt, what can I do for you?

"It's more what I can do for you, and what I should've done 26 year ago. Now answer me a few questions, there's a good boy! Firstly, how much were Layton blackmailin' you to keep quiet 'bout Di Drakes parents, obviously too much in your opinion, as she were shot by him?"

Lacey, sat back in his chair, "I don't know what you're talking about!" Lacey was adamant, his accent had changed over the years and was now indiscernible. 'To hide where 'e's from!' Gene thought.

"Well, I think you do. In fact," he pulled out a file from under his jacket, "I 'ave evidence enough 'ere that puts you at t' scene of t' crime, so to speak. Layton's fingerprints are all over t' phone that were used t' call you just before 'e shot 'er. It were 'er phone 'e used."

"Gene, surely we could …"

"It's Detective Chief Super t' you! And what? Come to some arrangement where you get early retirement and I get a medal from t' Queen."

"Well, maybe …"

"Lacey, why did you kill Markham?"

"I didn't! It was Layton," he stammered, "look, I did get the coroner to say in his report that Markham had died from an overdose but Layton wanted his business back. It seemed the best thing to do at the time."

"Because, you and Markham were in cahoots? You were getting a cut from his dealing?"

"I wasn't!"

"Lacey, you should know by now that I'm a picky bastard and make sure I have the facts to back up my statements. I've more evidence, from t' bank where there is an account held in the name of 'Julius Hannover', an' guess what, security pointed you out as t' holder of said account!"

"I …I …"

"Just give me Layton! That's all I want! The man that shot Alex Drake."

"Oh god! He has a flat in Bermondsey, 46 Queen Victoria Flats, Romany Way."

Gene got up from his seat and went to the door, "Ray did you get that?"

"Loud an' clear," he grinned, rewinding the digital recorder back a bit and checking, "…_Victoria Flats, Romany Way."_

"Better arrest him then," Gene turned back to Lacey, "Superintendent Lacey, I am arresting you for perverting the course of justice, you have the right to remain silent, but anything you do say …"

"Guv'? Do you want me t' do it?" Ray asked.

"Why?"

"'Cause t' caution changed 'bout 13 year ago!"

"Of course it did!" Gene responded, sarcastically, "ok Raymondo, it's over t' you."

* * *

"Plod say they'll let us know when 'e returns. Council say 'e rents that place an' everythin' is in order, all paid! Just gotta wait it out," Ray reiterated the information to Gene. Gene asked Ray to keep him informed should anything happen, "Why, what you up t' now?"

"I'm going to 'ave dinner with Ms Drake's daughter and godfather, if that's ok wit' you?"

"Fine, boss, keep your mobile wit' you, I'll ring when someat happens."

Gene left CID and looked at his watch, nearly 4 pm, he was to meet Molly and Evan at 5 so he decided to make his way straight to the hospital. It would give him an opportunity to speak with Alex and maybe a doctor. There were a few things he needed to know to be able to tell her, one thing he was sure of was the date and to quantify it he looked at his mobile. 5th March 2007, just as he'd expected.

Soon he was within the ICU and noticing a man dressed in a white overall and expecting him to be a doctor, went over and spoke to him. He turned out to be a staff nurse but paged Alex's doctor for him so that Gene was able to find out the information he required.

He checked the time and he still had half an hour. Sullenly entering the room that Alex occupied he decided to sit on the edge of her bed, taking her left hand and holding it between his own. "Hi, Alex. It's me again, your Manc Lion. I've just been talkin' to the doctor and its not good news." A stray tear fell from his eye and landed on her cheek, "time is running out for you 'ere in 2007, they can't remove t' bullet, the chances of you living through that operation are practically zero. You're depending more and more on the machines and even if you did wake up, which they suspect you won't, chances are you'll not be able t' fend for yourself. You'll 'ave t' be looked after by a nurse or someat.

"I feel pretty lousy, t' be 'onest, knowing that I'm the one to be the bearer of bad tidings. I only 'ope that by t' time I get back t' you in 1981, you can forgive me! I love you and I can't bear to let you go but I might 'ave t', like your family will 'ave t' 'ere, an' that's gonna kill me." His expression was forlorn, he didn't know what to say for the best. Within seconds tears were falling hard and fast, splattering on her body when they landed.

Eventually, he'd calmed enough to look at her pasty features. Brushing more hair from her face, "got some news though," he said, a little happier now than he had been. "Markham is dead, Lacey 'as been arrested an' we're waiting for Layton to turn up at 'is flat to get that toe rag an' all. So thin's are workin' out 'ere, 'opefully I'll be back t' you as soon as you like, before tea time I 'ope. Maybe even tonight, well tonight 'ere. By t' way, its 5th March."

The sound of the door opening behind him had him stood bolt upright and breaking his contact with Alex. Molly ran up to him and hugged him, thanking him for turning up. She took up the position he had just vacated so he sat in the seat next to her, listening to her intently as she prattled on to her mother. 'Now I know where she get's that from!' he thought. Evan took up a position behind Molly and joined in when he was needed. He shook Gene's hand and struck up a conversation with him whilst they both allowed Molly her time.

Once she was done they went for dinner, a tiny family run Italian that sat opposite the hospital. Gene managed to get Evan to open up when Molly had excused herself to use the bathroom. "Evan?" He'd asked, "Have you decided what to do if the doctors suggest that Alex won't wake up."

Evan looked at Gene directly, pursing his lips together, he knew Gene meant well and that his question was probably routine considering he was her boss. "Molly and I have talked, we've decided to give her 3 months. If by that time she is still unresponsive or worse then we'll …" Evan couldn't say anything more, trailing off his unfinished sentence.

"I see." Gene merely said.

"It would be wrong of us to expect …"

Gene held up his hands, "Evan, I don't blame you or think it's wrong. I'm sure that Alex wouldn't want to live a life depedent on others, she's too self-sufficient for that." He kept his face as straight as he could although inside he was dying. "She'll be missed but quality of life has to be thought about."

"Yes, Gene, it does. Everything ok, Molly?" Evan asked her as she returned to the table.

"Yes thanks!" She answered brightly enough. For a kid that was on the verge of losing her mother, Gene thought she was very brave. He told her so. She thanked him.

"Molly?" Gene asked, "A friend of mine has asked me to get a copy of a song but I'm not very technologically minded, not sure 'ow to get it or where from even."

"What is it?" She asked.

"'When Tomorrow Comes' by the Euryht…" He said, not quite remembering what she'd told him.

"Oh, I've got that on my Blackberry," she said, "it's one of mum's favourites. I'll Bluetooth it to your phone."

"You'll what it?"

"Give me your phone, please, Mr Hunt." She smiled, taking the proffered item, doing what she had to do and giving it back to him. He looked at her quizzically so she showed him how to retrieve it and play it. He thanked her and they got on with their meal. After, spending time with them both he began to realise that he had misunderstood Evan completely and found that Molly was not only the image of her mother but would be as beautiful and smart as her mother was when she reached her mother's age. Just as they were settling up the bill his phone went off. It was Ray.

"I'm really sorry I 'ave t' take this call! Thank you both so much for this evening, maybe we can do it again sometime." And with that he'd answered his phone and was on his way to Layton's flat, Layton had returned home at last.

* * *

By the time he'd got there, uniform were milling around everywhere retreiving evidence and helping out with forensics. He noticed that Ray was stood by the BMW, smoking, and made his way over to him. "Where is 'e?" Ray pointed to the body bag.

Shaking his head Ray began to explain, "I think 'e realised someat was up when 'e got 'ere. Anyway, e' decided e'd 'ad enough and threw himself over t' balcony. Not much left o' 'im!"

Gene shook his head, "Bastard! At least, e'll not be anymore 'arm to no one. Good riddance. So, I thin' a drink's in order, don't you?"

"Sorry, Guv', no can do. Told the wife I'd be 'ome smartish tonight, it's our anniversary."

"Oh right, congrats! Chris?"

"Sorry, Guv', gotta sort out the kids with their footie practice an' that!"

"Ok, well I'll see you both tomorrow then!" Gene walked away from the crowd and back to his car. He decided to drive back to the hospital and tell Alex that Layton was dead. Before starting the car he pulled the phone from his pocket, did as Molly had shown him and waited for the tune to start playing before he proceeded to drive listening to the words as he went on his way.

_Underneath your dreamlit eyes__ shades of sleep have driven you away._

_The moon is pale outside and you are far from here._

_Breathing shifts your careless head untroubled by the chaos of our lives._

_Another day - another night has taken you again my dear._

_And you know that I'm gonna be the one_

_Who'll be there when you need someone to depend upon_

_When tomorrow comes... (Wait till tomorrow comes - yea yea…)_

_When tomorrow comes... (Wait till tomorrow comes - yea yea…)_

_When tomorrow comes...__ (Wait till tomorrow comes - yea yea…)_

_When tomorrow comes... (Wait till tomorrow comes - yea yea…)_

_  
Last night while you were__ lying in my arms and I was wondering where you were_

_You know you looked just like a baby fast asleep in this dangerous world._

_Every star was shining brightly just like a million years before._

_And we were feeling very small underneath the universe._

_And you know that I'm gonna be the one _

_Who__'ll be there when you need someone to depend upon_

_When tomorrow comes... (Wait till tomorrow comes – yea yea …)_

_When tomorrow comes... (Wait till tomorrow comes – yea yea …)_

_When tomorrow comes...__ (Wait till tomorrow comes - yea yea…)_

_When tomorrow comes... (Wait till tomorrow comes - yea yea…)_

_Oh yea … hah … ooh ooh yea_

_And you know that I__'m gonna be the one _

_Who__'ll be there when you need someone to depend upon_

_When tomorrow comes... (Wait till tomorrow comes – yea yea …) Ah yea_

_When tomorrow comes... (Wait till tomorrow comes – yea yea …) Ooh Ooh_

_When tomorrow comes...__ (Wait till tomorrow comes - yea yea…) I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait_

_When tomorrow comes... (Wait till tomorrow comes - yea yea…) Ooh yea_

_I cant' wait for tomorrow now baby Ooh Ooh_

_When tomorrow comes_

_I wanna be with you when tomorrow comes_

_I wanna be with you when tomorrow comes_

Once the song had finished he got out of the car and walked back into ICU for the second time that evening. He took up his usual position on the bed and took her hand once more. "Good news Alex, Layton's dead. You can rest easy now, luv, 'e's gone." He wanted to kiss her, to let her know how he felt, if he never got the chance again he'd have to take this one. He lifted the mask from over her nose and mouth pushing it to one side so that he could get to her. Whispering into her left ear he said, "I've listened to that song by the way, Molly bluetoothed it to my phone. God, I'm useless with technology. Anyway, I know what you mean now, that first verse does seem to sum us up perfectly, I can't wait for tomorrow to see you again, my love, my precious Bolly." He looked back to the lifeless face that stared back. Gently he traced her lips with the tips of his fingers before finally briefly pressing his lips to hers.

Suddenly, with a shock of electricity and a blast of white light he was floating, and floating downward, he tried to see where he was going but the light was too bright for him to make out anything discernable. He only hoped that wherever he was going he ended up at home, in 1981.


	11. Meanwhile back in 1981! Part 2

A/N: Hope you all like this next bit, short and sweet I know but still got a little bit to go yet. Please read/review. Thank you all for your continued support.

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone, yadda yadda.

Chapter 11 – Meanwhile … back in 1981! : Part 2

Alex was asleep, curled up in the chair next to Gene's bed, well as best as she could considering the 10 tonne of plaster she had wrapped around her leg. 2007 Gene had her hand between his and was talking to her again.

"_Hi, Alex. It's me again, your Manc Lion. I've just been talkin' to the doctor and its not good news." __She watched the stray tear fall from his eye and land on her cheek, "time is running out for you 'ere in 2007, they can't remove t' bullet, the chances of you living through that operation are practically zero. You're depending more and more on the machines and even if you did wake up, which they suspect you won't, chances are you'll not be able t' fend for yourself. You'll 'ave t' be looked after by a nurse or someat._

"_I feel pretty lousy, t' be 'onest, knowing that I'm the one to be the bearer of bad tidings. I only 'ope that by t' time I get back t' you in 1981, you can forgive me! I love you and I can't bear to let you go but I might 'ave t', like your family will 'ave t' 'ere, an' that's gonna kill me." Her heart went out to him, he looked so lost. Overcome by emotion, she watched as within seconds Gene's tears were falling hard and fast, splattering on her body when they landed._

_Eventually, he'd calmed down and she felt him brush more of her hair from her face, "got some news though," he said, a little happier now than he had been. "Markham is dead, Lacey 'as been arrested an' we're waiting for Layton to turn up at 'is flat to get that toe rag an' all. So thin's are workin' out 'ere, 'opefully I'll be back t' you as soon as you like, before tea time I 'ope." He sniggered, "maybe even tonight, well tonight 'ere. By t' way, its 5__th__ March."_

She came too, looking around her in a daze. Everything seemed as it should, apart from the fact that Ray was stood over her peering at her. She breathed in deeply and stretched, "what time is it?"

"It's after 8 pm, have you been 'ere all day?" He asked, concerned.

"Yes, Ray, I have. I know I said I'd ring when I was ready for you to come and pick me up but I don't want to go home. I want to stay here … with Gene. I'm not going to be happy unless I know he's ok and I can't think of any place better to do that than here, especially when he wakes up."

"Well, if you're not goin' to go 'ome, which I doubted you would, d'you fancy some company?" Alex nodded, "Good, d'you fancy some contraband?" He said, pulling a silver hip flask of whisky out from his pocket. He shook it in front of her.

She took it, gladly, opening it and taking a swig, she smiled, the last time she'd done that she'd been stuck in that vault with Gene!

"Penny for 'em?" Ray asked as she handed the flask back to him.

She giggled, "Do you remember that time you, Chris and Shaz had to rescue Gene and I from that vault," Ray smiled and nodded. "I was just thinking that was the last time I'd drunk from a hip flask."

"Mmm, if I remember correctly, both o' you were a bit 'ot an' flustered by the time we got t' you. Both in a state of undress too."

"Yes, well we were cooking in that confined space. 'I'd rather suffocate than boil' I think he said. You know, I didn't know if I was going to get out of there alive, he had his arm around me to reassure me that everything was going to be ok although I think deep down, he must have thought the same."

"Yeah? But then that's Gene all over, might be tough as old boots on the outside but all 'eart. A rough diamond I suppose. Do you wanna know what I remember 'bout Gene's trusty 'ip flasks!"

"Go on!"

"There were this time in Manchester, Sam were there too; anyway Gene 'ad got caught up in a shoot out an' we all thought 'e'd been 'it. The bullet 'ad ended up in 'is hip flask, 'e were fine." Ray laughed, he looked up at Alex who was listening to him keenly, "well, as Gene were getting' up an' taking the shot 'ip flask out of 'is pocket, Sam said something 'bout 'what were the chances of the shot ending up in the flask'. Gene then proceeded t' take out a further 6 and replied 'pretty good actually'." Alex was laughing by now and Ray was glad that she seemed happier. "Glad you're laughin', you looked a bit outta sorts when I came in!"

"Mmm, I'd just had a bit of a weird dream."

"Like to talk 'bout it."

Alex, unsure of what she'd say, decided that saying no was the best course of action, she shook her head.

"Look, I don't know what 'as been goin' on between you two but over the last couple months it's become increasingly evident that there's a connection there between you. Whilst we were lookin' for you, Gene said a few things to me that were a bit strange but, like I've said before, we've known each other for a long time, I know when there's someat troublin' 'im, we trust each other. 'E told me that there were stuff you'd told 'im that although seemed incomprehensible, as evidence were presentin' itself he were believin' what you'd said. Stuff about Sam, too."

"Did he tell you anything I'd actually told him?"

"No, 'e just asked me t' take a leap of faith if there were anythin' 'e said out o' the ordinary."

"Ray, what would you say if I told you that I was from the future?"

"Eh?"

"I'm in a coma in 2007. I was so sure that this wasn't real, that if I could save my parents then I could get home, but I couldn't save them, they still died anyway and I'm still here."

"What are you talkin' 'bout?"

"Ray, Sam came to Manchester in 1973 didn't he, well when you told me he'd stayed for a further 7 years after he'd come back to help you all with that railway heist, I made some comment about you not having me for 7 years. Do you remember?"

"Yeah, but … how did you know Sam ran off in the middle of a railway heist that were 8 year ago?"

"Because, in 2006 he was in a coma. He managed to recover from his coma, and for a little while he seemed to be ok, wrote everything that had happened in 1973 down, made a tape too." She noticed Ray nodding his head. "That file was sent to me, by the time it landed on my desk I had received information that Sam had committed suicide, he'd jumped off the GMP building. Obviously, you guys were worth more to him than his life in 2006 and decided to get back to you. I told Gene all of this two nights after the Prices' death. Gene told me that Sam had come back to help you and that he'd stayed in 1973, had a son with Annie, who Gene is godfather too."

"'Ow do you fit into this?"

"Well, I knew about Sam's life in 1973 and when I was transported here to 1981, I realised that I had gone through the same thing and that I was obviously in a coma in 2007. Didn't you ever wonder how I knew all of your names when you all rode up in the Quattro and dealt with Markham? As, everyone rightly points out, I was thinking too much I wrongly assumed that if I could save my parents from dying then I could get back home. I didn't, and they still died. But at least I found out that my mother loved me and my father was twisted."

"Gene told me you were shot by Layton, that 'e'd also 'elped kill your parents. You knew 'bout the bombing 'cause you'd seen it 'appen before. You're that little girl, you're Alex Price!" Ray was astounded at his own statement, as he noticed Alex nodding her head, biting her lower lip and unshed tears appearing at the corners of her eyes. "Jesus!"

Alex carried on. "And as for a connection, well, when I got here I kept having these images of clowns and things from the bombing. Things weren't always adding up but I kept getting small visions of my memory, from the events of the bombing and leading up to it. When I actually saw it happen the second time I was amazed. I'd always thought that the man that had shielded me from the image of that burning car was my godfather, that he was the man that took my hand and led me away from the scene when I was 8. But it wasn't, Evan was there but it wasn't him."

"Evan White is your godfather?"

She merely nodded, "Evan is my godfather, and he's also my daughter's godfather. Anyway, the man took a hold of me was the man that carried me into the police station." She looked over to his sleeping form. "It was Gene, god knows how he knew to be there when I remember him from when I was a child, but he was. Ray, I do believe he's my guardian angel. You see, since he's been in this coma I've seen him in 2007 standing over my body lying in a hospital bed with machines keeping me alive. He's also told me that he's had the same, images of me here watching over him. He hopes to be home soon, they're waiting on catching Layton, and he hopes to be back once that has been done."

"Well, bugger me!" Ray didn't know what else to say. He was trying to take in and compute what she was saying. Like Gene had said, 'it has credence'. It made sense, neither Sam nor Alex had acted like his kind of policing colleagues when they had both first arrived on the scene; their methods had been nothing but unusual and alien. However, he surmised, she'd been so neurotic about making sure the Prices stayed alive she had no reason to lie. "Right, so I'm taking this leap of faith an' believin' you, if Gene believes it then I've got no reason not t' either have I? So where do we go from here?"

"I guess we wait until Gene gets back first." Alex lent over and pressed her hand firmly on Ray's arm. "Thanks!"

"What for?"

"For listening and for believing me, that means more to me than you'll ever know, and for being real!"

"Not an imaginary … what did you call us?"

"Constructs, imaginary constructs," she sniggered. "There is nothing remotely imaginary about any of you, thankfully." She yawned, "I think I need to sleep a bit more."

"You go ahead; I'll wake you if anythin' happens."

_

* * *

_

Alex was surprised to see Gene walk back into her room, watching him as h

_e took up his usual position on the bed and took her hand once more. "Good news Alex, Layton's dead. You can rest easy now, luv, 'e's gone." He carefully lifted the mask from over her nose and mouth pushing it to one side, she trusted him but what was he doing. Whispering into her left ear he said, "I've listened to that song by the way, Molly bluetoothed it to my phone. God, I'm useless with technology. Anyway, I know what you mean now, that first verse does seem to sum us up perfectly, I can't wait for tomorrow to see you again, my love, my precious Bolly." She smiled at his admission whilst he was studying her sightless face. Gently he traced her lips with the tips of his fingers before finally briefly pressing his lips to hers …_

"Alex, Alex …?" Ray was shaking her trying to get her to wake, "Alex, someone wants to say somethin' to you!"

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes not wanting to break the contact that she'd just experienced, his mouth on hers. Her hand went instinctively to her mouth as her eyes shot over what she expected to be his sleeping form only to find that he was sitting up watching her, an amused expression on his face. "Guess you felt that then?" He asked.

She nodded, happy that he was awake; she struggled to get out of her seat and to him. Ray helped, his arms pushing her up from behind and helping her move to the edge of the bed. Satisfied that she was safely perched on the edge of the bed he turned to leave. "I'll leave you both to it for the time bein'. I'll be outside if you need me, just holler!"

"Thanks Ray!" Alex said, turning her attention away from Gene briefly.

Gene grabbed her hand, pulling it to his mouth and kissing it, firmly getting her attention back on him. Her face turned to his, her smile beaming. He returned it with his own. "How long have you been awake?" She asked.

"'Bout 'alf an 'our, you looked so content I didn't want to wake you, but I couldn't wait any longer. Alex, with all we've been through I 'ave t' tell you something. I'm not good at things like this!"

She edged her way further up the bed, slipping her arms about him, "Gene, please, you'll be fine. Just say what you want to say."

"Ok … I … I … I love you, Alex."

"I know," she replied, "And I love you, Gene. Has your strength returned, DCI?" She asked playfully.

"I feel ok, why?"

"Do you think that you'd be able to kiss me?"

"DI Drake, I do believe that there is the very best chance of me being able to do that, come 'ere!" Gene placed his hand under her chin, drawing her face toward his. He felt her breathing falter slightly as they edged ever closer to one another. Eventually, he grazed his lips gently against hers; teasing her and feeling her begin to pant slightly with anticipation of what was to come. Finally, he gave in, firmly planting his mouth upon hers. He was lost to her and she to him, their kiss ever deepening as it had in her dream, both finally realising that this was where they were meant to be, together.

TBC


	12. Talk of staying!

A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to update, but have started back to college this week so I'm trying to fit in chapters as and when I can. Hope you all enjoy. Please read and review.

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone, yadda yadda.

Chapter 12 – Talk of staying!

Within the next couple of days, Alex found herself in a routine that she rather enjoyed. In Gene's absence from work and with Ray still working as acting DI, she'd made herself available for a few hours per day. Unable to participate in active duty she was still able to build profiles and help out with routine investigations.

As soon as visiting hours arrived at the hospital she would be sat next to Gene until she was virtually forced to leave by a staff nurse and the ever attentive Ray. This would always take the form of an initial formal meeting of minds, discussing cases and trying to come up with solutions, before they engaged in playful chatter and enjoyable embracing. Neither broached the subject of 2007, both deciding that an exchange of this nature may be too upsetting for the time being. Alex didn't want to know just yet, she was too happy and content with things as they were. Gene knew he'd have to say something but decided to wait until he had at least been released.

Her daily ritual would always end up at Luigi's for something to eat before spending the night at Gene's, she felt unable to meet the confines of her own abode until Gene was able to be there with her. Markham was still at large and even though, she reasoned with herself, he would never have the balls to do what Layton had done she wasn't going to take any chances. The first afternoon she'd visited with Gene she'd asked if she could use his place for the time being, he'd been more than happy to let her, knowing that she would be safe there. She'd been more than happy too, she knew she'd never be allowed to stay in the hospital, this would be the next best thing until he was home and then …

"… And then what, Alex?" She'd asked herself after letting herself into Gene's apartment a couple of weeks after he'd woken from his coma. "What is going to miraculously happen when he returns home? Is he going to keep asking you to stay over? Will he then ask you to move in? Eventually ask you to marry him?" 'Marry him!' She thought, 'where had that come from? And what about 2007?' She knew that she'd have to ask soon, ask about her lying in that hospital bed, ask about her recuperation ask about Molly and Evan. But that could wait, at least for now, she just wanted to bury her head in the sand and wait for Gene to come home. And if the doctors were right than that could possibly be the weekend. She smiled, walking into the kitchen and pouring herself a glass of whiskey.

She'd initially felt self-conscious about being there. Ok, so she'd asked him and he'd accepted but she'd found it difficult to be surrounded by his things for those first few nights, especially considering he wasn't actually there. She'd felt like a trespasser, she'd even left a couple of carrier bags of clothing she'd bought laying in the hallway before realising that she was being stupid, found some coat hangers and hung them in his wardrobe. Overridden by guilt, she hadn't hesitated in telling him what she'd done in case her actions were perceived to be a bit forward in his eyes but his amused expression silenced her. He'd had hold of her hands attempting to still they're shaking and informing her that he didn't consider her actions anything more than what they were on the surface, he didn't believe her to have any agenda; she wasn't comfortable in her own home then, of course, she should make herself at home in his, in fact, he'd insisted upon it. He'd kissed her then, before telling her that he would be more than happy to go home and find her expensive frilly knickers and bras invading his sock drawer.

She sat down on the nearest chair and pulled off her shoes, absently scratching at the plaster as the healing skin and bone beneath itched like crazy. At least it would only be on her leg now for two more weeks. She'd had to resort to wearing skirts flashing her good leg at every opportunity to an easily pleased DCI. He'd noted how the silky fabrics would hitch a little higher as she'd manage to find a safe spot at his side giving him a better view of her appendages. He'd tell her she was doing nothing for his blood pressure. She'd tease him back asking him what else it was she could do, leaving him to his thoughts and conjured up images of the time he was about to stamp her perfectly formed right buttock.

She needed to get comfortable and moved stealthily into the bedroom now that she was used to the crutches. Swiftly she removed her clothing and replaced it with her new midnight blue satin nightshirt, looking at herself in the mirrored door of the wardrobe. 'Good enough,' she thought, even with the cast and crutches. The neckline gave away just enough sight of her cleavage and she hoped that Gene would think it was good enough too, if she ever got the chance to wear it for him. "What am I doing?" She questioned herself sadly.

Her final ablutions had always ended with a ritual walk around of Gene's bathroom, smelling his scents and filling her mind with him before she was able to go to bed and imagine him there with her again. Although they both had been overdressed on that occasion she always hoped that they would eventually be as close as two people in love could be. She settled into the pillows and wrapped the duvet around her, even though Gene had been in hospital for a few weeks he was still there, his odour mingling with hers, dragging her into the most blissful recurring sleep she had had since she'd arrived in 1981. It usually took a number of whiskeys or a bottle of wine to get her to sleep like this and if she were truly honest that had been one of the two main reasons she generally found her way down those stairs from her flat into Luigi's restaurant. The other would be the company she knew she would invariably find, never caring what mood he would be in, just knowing that to be near him was to live even if for those first four months she still only considered him to only be a construct of her over active imagination.

But, she'd reasoned, they were real, all of them; Gene, Ray, Chris, Shaz and even Luigi. There was no possible way that she could ever make up all of the things that were going on. She had only been a child when Lord Scarman had started on his rampage of policing methods and she hadn't a clue about Tom Robinson's involvement with Gay Rights at that time, so why would she imagine those things. And then there were her kisses with Gene, even her mind wasn't that good. If she'd truly imagined their shared embraces then why were things happening in them that she wouldn't even think of, like the way he held her sometimes, his hands caressing parts of her body that she had never been made aware of by previous lovers or even the way he nibbled her neck and earlobes, twirling her hair around his fingers as he continued his rampage, even down to words he'd use when he'd talk to her. She'd never felt this good about anything in her life and even though she was living it in 1981 it was the best place she could think of being, better than lying in some hospital bed in 2007.

As she lay there, summoning up fantasies of Gene, she thought back to their earlier conversation. "So, Alex, what do you want t' do on Saturday night, then? Seeing as I'm discharged during the day sometime." Gene had asked of her.

"Whoa, Gene! Aren't you meant to be at home recuperating for a week or so before you're thinking of gallivanting all over London?"

"Bolly, I don't know what hospitals are like in 2007, but in 1981 they don't let you out unless they know you're able to 'ave a little jig down the ol' discothèque an' look after yerself."

Her eyebrows rose to the ceiling. "Well, to be honest," she started, a mischievous grin appearing over her face, "I'd rather stay at home, to be honest with you!"

"Alex, wait, there are some things that need to happen. Firstly, we need to get you back into your flat, secondly," his face was serious, his pout had returned, he hoped that she would understand. "I want to wait for that, I want to court you properly!"

Alex turned her head away from him, unsure of what feelings she was meant to be experiencing. He wanted to wait; she hadn't seen that one coming. But if that was what he wanted then she would most definitely oblige. The thought that he actually wanted to court her excited her, she'd never really had that before.

Unfortunately, Gene had taken her reaction as an adverse one, he had to say something to her and quickly, he needed to get her back on side, make her understand where he was coming from. "I don't want t' rush this, Alex," he began, using her name as a way of getting through to her. "I've done that, all me life. Did it wit' the wife, we started courting, not two minutes later an' we were wed an' in bed together, maybe if we'd taken it steadier then either we'd still 'ave a good relationship an' she'd 'ave not chosen to run off wit' the milkman, so to speak, or we'd 'ave ne'er got married in t' first place. An' that's all I've done since too, rushin' into things with countless women. I don't want that wit' you, I respect you too much for that and you're worth more than that to me. I want t' take this steady wit' you because I want this to last … forever. I love you, Alex and …" Gene was suddenly stopped from saying anything further as Alex firmly planted her mouth upon his.

She broke away, she needed him to understand why she had looked away in the first place, "Remember I told you that things were very different in 2007," she watched him nod his head, "well, one of the things that's kind of expected in modern relationships is that if someone takes you to dinner they get something in return. It doesn't always happen but I haven't been fortunate enough to find anyone that wanted to treat me with that much respect. I'm honoured you feel this way, honoured and flattered. If this is what you want then that's fine, it'll give us an opportunity to really get to know one another. I like the idea of being courted actually, thank you for suggesting it."

Gene took her hands in his and gently laid them in his lap. "Thank you, I thought for one minute there that you didn't like the idea."

Alex smiled. "I'll just have to keep imagining you in my dreams for the moment though, won't I?" She asked playfully.

"I only hope I can live up to your expectations." He countered.

"With what I've already experienced, Gene, I don't think that is going to be a problem," she said honestly, "especially if that drawing is anything to go by!"

"What drawing?"

Alex looked at him in surprise, "I think you know which drawing, Mr Hunt. I'm not quite sure that you taking me over the office desk is a good idea," Gene realised she was talking about his doodle, he'd put it in his sock drawer never expecting her to find it. Alex continued, "but I'm willing to have a go if you really want to. When did you draw it?"

"It was the day that we went to see Chas Cale, the day that I had an attack of old age and you kept tellin' me I wasn't even past my prime."

"Well, you're not," she protested, "So was this before or after you were about to give me mouth-to-mouth?"

"Before, and, before you ask, it was when you strolled into my office, basically telling me to stop being so stupid, believe in me instincts and then proceeded t' give me a flash of your ample cleavage when you lent over me desk."

"That desk has proved useful then, did I do that often, show you my cleavage?"

"I think," he said, still smiling from her question, "that you know exactly how often you showed me your cleavage."

"Perhaps, probably as many times as you actually saved me." They both shared a moment, each gazing into the other's eyes with a mutual appreciation of what had happened between them.

"So, where are we goin' to go on Saturday night? Somewhere where we can be alone and not get accosted by anyone. Luigi's is definitely out, especially with his continuous banter about why you and I should be together, etc, God love him!"

"Yes, I've been getting that every night since I've been going back. He keeps asking me why I'm thinking of leaving you behind to nurse your broken heart, what I must be thinking of to leave you on your own."

"What 'ave you told him?" Gene asked, unsure of whether he wanted to hear what she was going to say.

"I've told him that it's taken me a long relentless laborious time to come up with my decision. Do you remember what you said to me when you were in 2007?"

"Vaguely," he was sullen now.

"Gene, you told me that the chances of me having a normal life in 2007 were practically nil, and that was if I woke up out of the coma. What kind of life would I have there, none. I'm staying here, living a real life, with you, if you'll have me."

"But what happens if you do wake up in 2007?"

"I don't want to think about it!"

"We 'ave too!"

"I have absolutely no idea what is going to happen to me, but I know this. I have never felt this way about anyone in my life before, not even with my ex-husband. The last thing I want to do knowingly is leave you. I will make every effort to stay here, I promise."

Gene accepted what she had to say, for the time being at least. He persisted with his earlier question, "where are we going to go on Saturday?"

"How about that little bistro on Sumner Street?"

"Ok," Gene answered, "you don't think it will piss Luigi off 'e knows we've gone somewhere else, do you?"

"I think he'll be ok with it, he'll realise we need some space." Alex caught Gene's eye, "so I suppose you'll want me to move back into mine then?"

"Alex," Gene started, "I'm happy for you t' stay at mine but it'll make things difficult and I really want to do this properly, if you really don't want to go back there maybe we can find somewhere else for you."

"I'm being stupid."

Gene folded her into his embrace, "No, you're not. Look, I'll stay wit' you for a couple a nights if you want, t' make you feel safe an' all."

"Thank you that would probably be a good idea, now I've got to think about what to wear on our date."

"Well, I always think that somethin' slutty always works."

"Mmm, I was thinking more sophistication and sexy."

"I don't recall you actually havin' anythin' like that in your wardrobe."

Alex swatted Gene's arm playfully. "You'll be surprised, mind you I think it's about time I spent some of my hard and, if I say so myself, well earned pay on something new. Probably have to get some new underwear too."

"God, Bols, you know exactly how t' get me goin'. Think you better go before I take you physically on this bed."

Alex, contemplated that for a while, and smiled, "let's wait until Saturday Gene, shall we? I'll see you tomorrow!" She kissed him not wanting to let the moment end.

"Yeah, tomorrow, Bols!" He answered, reluctantly letting her go.

As she drifted off to sleep, blissful images of Gene taking her on that hospital bed invaded her mind. "Court me Gene," she muttered, "take as long as you like, I'll be ready to show you how I feel, when you are!"

TBC


	13. Thier second 'first' date!

A/N: Short and sweet this little chapter, hope you like it! Please read/review.

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone, yadda yadda.

Chapter 13 – Their second 'first' date!

Everything had been as normal as it could be when Ray and Alex went to pick up Gene from hospital and as soon as they'd left the building Gene was harassing Ray for his keys so he could get behind the wheel of his beloved Audi. Thankfully, much to Ray's surprise, he took it easy, telling Ray to stop being such a Nancy, he was only thinking of Bolly's leg. Alex had smiled at his comment before looking back to see Ray's face, a picture of incomprehension.

They'd decided that the best course of action was to take Alex home first, that way she'd actually have "two armed bastards" with her should anything transpire. Sending Ray on ahead with the keys, Gene and Alex slowly ascended the stairs and by the time they got to the top, Alex was exhausted. "Next time, I'll carry you!" Gene muttered as he held the door open for her.

As they walked into the tiny hallway they both stopped short looking around in wonder at the transformation, Luigi and his family had obviously worked a little magic whilst she had kept away, they'd wanted to make sure that she would feel at home when she came back, the décor had been updated and furnishings had been changed. "No wonder he kept asking me when I was due back?" Alex said, as she threaded her way into the living space. "I can't believe he's done all of this, for me!"

"It wasn't just Luigi," Ray mentioned, "it were Chris, Shaz, Skip and meself too. Felt like we should all chip in, 'elp out. T' make you feel more comfortable, like!"

"You know, Ray, sometimes there are moments when I just don't know what to expect from you," Alex retorted, moving closer to Ray as she spoke, "but then, there are times when you absolutely take my breath away. Thank you." After leaning her crutches against the wall she put her arms around Ray and hugged him. When she pulled away he was smiling down at her.

"That's ok, Alex, it were our pleasure!"

"God, I only 'ope I can get that kind of reaction out of you when I do someat nice for ya!" Gene hinted, watching the events before him. He felt jealous, seeing his Bolly in the arms of another man, even if that other man just happened to be Ray. Alex turned to face him seeing the all too evident anguish on Gene's face as his usual pout took precedence.

She broke away from Ray and turned the best she could, continuing to smile as she did so. She motioned for Gene to come to her, after much coaxing he obliged. He stopped slightly away from her as she struggled to close the gap, finally she had her arms around his neck and was pulling him toward her, finally resting her forehead against his, "You'd always manage to get that kind of response out of me, I just didn't know that you were real enough for me to be able to show you, or that you even wanted me to," she whispered noticing that Ray was beating a hasty retreat from her flat, "Looks like we're all alone now, Mr Hunt, are you going to stop sulking now and kiss me?"

He needed no other invitation quickly finding her mouth with his own. As their kiss deepened, he slid his arms around her waist resting his hands at the top of her bottom, pulling her even closer to him, their bodies forming to one another with his affectionate actions. As she breathed, he could feel the continuous rise and fall of her breasts through the flimsy material of his shirt hoping that her involuntary actions didn't cause him to react improperly. Her hands had now found their way down his body and around his back, underneath his coat making him shiver slightly; she pulled him closer keeping him warm. For several minutes they stayed as they were seeking all the comfort they could glean from the other.

Reluctantly he pulled away from her. "If I don't go now," he said, his voice husky, "I never will!" Alex nodded her agreement, knowing that Gene was right; he wanted their relationship to be perfect. Slowly he let her go; setting her upright before reaching over for her crutches and making sure that she was safely positioned upon them. Another embrace, another smell of her hair, a chaste kiss on her cheek, he pulled away once again, "I'll see you in a couple of 'ours," he whispered, "I'll come and get you, ok?" She nodded again not wanting to speak in case any spell cast was inadvertently broken. "Bye!" He said, "I'll see you at 7.30, for our first 'real' date!"

"Bye, Gene." Stopping where she was for a while she watched the now closed door, she couldn't wait for his return. Sighing, she looked to the clock, a little after 4. 'Good,' she thought, 'plenty of time'. She made sure that the door was properly locked before going into her bedroom and taking out the new dress she had bought for her dinner date; it had been placed in her wardrobe by Shaz earlier on. Although the dress was black, it was both sophisticated and sexy. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror as she held the dress in front of her form. "He's going to love it!" She stated.

* * *

By the time Gene had finally arrived, Alex was already dressed in her white Mac, the buttons done up and the belt tied. The only things visible, the 'v' of her neck, where a gold necklace was present, and her unclad legs. She had fastened her hair up leaving a few tendrils to frame her face and matching earrings fell from her lobes. She'd decided to dispense with her usual blue eye make up, a smoky effect was what she wanted and used browns and gold's instead, resulting in her feeling sultrier for him. She'd had to make do with a pair of gold peep toe pumps because of the cast, but she vowed the next time she'd wear the dress she'd be wearing her black killer stiletto's and a pair of sheer stockings.

As promised he came to the door, his face a picture of both surprise and wonder, like a little boy getting his first train set. He broke into a smile, "You look beautiful!"

Returning his smile she responded, "You haven't seen the dress yet!" She wasn't surprised to see him dressed in his usual attire as she scanned from head to toe, but she liked it, the dark grey suit, the black shirt, and his black coat over the top, his boots and no tie. "I think that's my favourite ensemble of yours!"

"What? Speak English!"

"Your suit and the shirt, my favourite."

"Thanks, I suppose, I don't believe I actually paid too much attention to it when I put them on, but I'm glad you like them. Shall we go?" He held out his arms in front of him, she giggled knowing exactly what he meant by it. She nodded as he swiftly picked her up and took her down the stairs to the awaiting Audi.

Idle chit chat ensued as they drove through the streets of London; they were soon at the Bistro and safely inside. Alex stood with her back to Gene as she unwrapped herself from her coat, the waiter helped her taking her coat away and hanging it up along with Gene's own. She twirled around noticing Gene's expression, his cheeks puffed out as his wide eyes swallowed her up, "Christ on a bike".

The cleverly cut ruched sheath dress finished just below her knee, as it fell from her left shoulder in toga fashion. His eyes wandered over to her uncovered creamy smooth right shoulder, his mind giving way to furtive imaginings of what the rest of her skin would be like. His gaze fell downward to the swell of her breasts as the bias cut formed over them equally, 'definitely no bra tonight,' he thought. Another bias piece was visible underneath crossing from the other side, making it evident that a split was centred between her legs. The fabric was sheer enough that he could make out the shape of her legs. For once he was speechless; he coughed trying to take away his nervousness at her sheer beauty. "Do you like?" She asked.

He nodded his appreciation, "very much so, but can I just stress, you're not giving me much of a chance 'ere. At the moment there's only one thing I want t' eat and let's just say she's not on the menu!"

She giggled; glad that she'd got the reaction she'd anticipated. "I'm glad you like it, I have to admit that I was only thinking of you when I picked it out!"

"God 'elp me then, when we're in for a night of passion, reckon I'm a gonna already!" He smiled as she laughed at his remark. The waiter reappeared, waiting to usher them to their table. Gene motioned for Alex to take the lead placing his left hand in the small of her back, reassuring her that he was not only there but he was very real. He helped her take her seat making sure that she was settled and comfortable before taking his own.

After being seated and decisions made about food and drink, Gene and Alex settled into talking about Gene's brief transit to the future.

"… I'm glad to be back, don't get me wrong 2007 has its charms but I'd rather get there naturally. I couldn't believe 'ow much glass an' steel there were, everywhere, either. An' that eye thingy, what's that all about?"

"It was built, along with less successful attractions, to celebrate the millennium. It's quite an …"

"… amazing piece of engineering? 'Eard someone say that!"

"I was going to say architecture, actually; but it is that as well." Alex looked down, memories of the one and only time she'd been on it; she'd taken Molly for her 10th birthday. Her hands were clasped together in front of her on the table, her mind contemplating returning to 2007; eventually Gene covered her hands with his hoping to bring her back to him.

"What's up?"

"I was just thinking about Molly, I took her on 'the eye' for her birthday." She answered, sadly.

"I'm sorry Alex, I never meant to distress you by talking 'bout it."

"Gene, it wasn't you! My mind is off thinking again." She stayed silent for a minute. "How was she, you saw her didn't you?"

Gene nodded, his hands still firmly clasped over hers. "She's doin' grand. Very brave, I told her too. She misses you of course, but they're all resigned to the fact that you're not goin' to make it there." He watched the tears begin to follow their usual course down her face, what was he doing? He just knew that it needed to be said. He placed his fingers under her chin and gently drew her face back up so that he could look at her. "I'm sorry, Alex, the last thing I want to do is upset you but we do need to talk about this. Both Evan and Molly say that if you're unresponsive in 3 months then they have decided to switch off your machines. But to be honest love, with that bullet still stuck in your head …" She nodded; she knew that whatever decision was made it would be for the best.

"Thank you!"

"What for?"

"Being totally honest, I know I can always count on you for that and I think that's one of the reasons I love you, so very very much. Gene?"

"Yes?"

"What do you think will happen?"

"When?"

"When they turn the machines off?"

"I don't know, love. I wish I could tell you otherwise, but I can't."

"Will you be there for me?"

"Constantly!"

"Then stay with me, please!"

"Alex …"

"Please, Gene, when they switch that machine off that could be at any point here, I need to know you'll be there … to save me."

"Alright. You've made your point." He sniggered trying to soften the mood again, "but no funny business, d'you hear?"

Seductively, she looked at him opening her eyes wide and holding up three fingers on her right hand as she spoke, "scouts honour!"

A wide grin appeared, "if you were a boy scout I expect you t' show me some of your fancy knot work!"

"In time, Gene, in time."


	14. Lets make a night to remember!

A/N: Thanks again for the wonderful reviews; it's what's keeping me going knowing that people are actually enjoying what I'm writing. But, sometimes you just can't help your muse can you, so sorry for those who've been reading and can't know 'cause I've had to up the rating, hope that's not too many and hope you all like. Please read/review.

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone, yadda yadda. Thanks to Bryan Adams for the title of this chapter, but don't obviously own …

Chapter 14 – Lets make a night to remember!

After several weeks, things were beginning to settle back to normal. DCI Gene Hunt and DI Alex Drake were both back on full time duty, and CID was beginning to get back on track after having a back log of work to catch up on.

"… Anyway, not sure 'bout what he said, like. Someat not right wit' his story!" Gene and Alex had listened intently to DS Ray Carling and DC Chris Skelton for half an hour or so, the four of them sounding out explanations for Markham's disappearance as they sat in the parked Quattro in a derelict part of the city. "Gut feelin', Guv! Lacey's explanation of events don't quite cut it, especially as DC Burridge can't remember a thing." Ray continued.

"Perhaps …" Alex shook her head, "I could use regression ...

A/n: in order to continue reading this story please go to 'adult fan fiction .net' and find under Archive - Television - 1 through F - Ashes to Ashes - Repetitions of the Future. Thank you.


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